True Love Always Lasts
by thebestintheworld123
Summary: They thought their love would never last. Between all of the arguments, loneliness, and stress, any relationship would have fallen apart. But anything can happen. They might just survive after all.
1. Chapter 1

**Description: They knew their love would never last. Between all of the arguments, loneliness, and stress, any relationship would have fallen **  
**apart. But anything can happen. They might just survive afterall.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters**

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter One: The Ninja Academy Part 1

They met at the ninja academy. She was an intelligent, friendly, likable girl. She made friends with ease and was very skilled in  
using ninja tools. She would go home and polish them everyday then go to school and talk with her friends to see if anything interesting  
was going on with them. A girl with bubblegum pink hair approached her and said, "Hey Tenten, are you coming to my birthday party?  
It's next Thursday at my house."

She replied, "Of course Sakura! I wouldn't miss it for the world." She looked to a boy with long, dark brown hair and said "Sakura, can you  
invite him?"

Sakura looked at her best friend with confusion and said, "Why?" then her lips spread into a grin and said, "Does Tenten like Neji?"

Tenten's eyes shot wide open, "No, I just think he needs some friends. He's always quiet and never talks to anyone. No one seems to care  
about him at all."

Sakura huggged her friend and said, "Ok. You know, you are way too nice to people" and Tenten replied with a grin

Sakura walked over to the boy. She could see something in his eyes. They were filled with sadness and anger. Her brain tried to  
figure out what happened that made him the way he is. His cousin, Hinata, didn't talk much but she was not sad or angry. Sakura stood behind  
him for a second untill he said "What do you want?" in a cold voice

Sakura raised an eyebrow at his rudeness and said, "I just wanted to invite you to my birthday party. It's next Thursday at my house."

"No thank you. I heard you and your friend talking before you came over here. I do not want an invitation because you feel sorry for me."

"Fine, have it your way." With that she walked back to Tenten and said, "He said he didn't want a pity invitation."

Tenten was barely listening to her. She was just looking at the boy, trying to figure out his story. She couldn't help but wonder  
about him. Her mind came to a halt when he got up and started walking to her.

'Crap why is he coming over here. I wasn't looking at him for a long time was I? Oh man, yes I was. What is he going to say to me? He's  
going to beat me up for looking at him I just know it' Her thoughts were interrupted when he stopped in front of her.

"Come with me" he said in a relaxed voice. She did what he said and he led her to a forest near the academy.

He started the conversation with, "Why were you looking at me"

Her heart started racing from embarrassment but she spoke up anyway, "Um ... I was just curious to what made you so unhappy. I know it is none  
of my business but I just want to help."

He looked away from her and said, "I don't need any friends; I need people to leave me alone. That is what I want and if you can't respect my  
decision, then I will have to ask you to find some other child to pity."

Her eyes burned with rage, "I don't have to help you, you know! I just thought that you would at least let me talk to you."

"Whatever. I don't need anyone's help. I'm not a baby" he said glaring at her

She felt like getting up and running any second. What could have happened that made him such a selfish jerk, or was he just born a cold  
person? Tenten knew he needed someone and she would make it her job to get his spirits up again.

'Maybe if I share a little bit about myself, then he will open up too'

"Your name is Neji right?" He nodded "Well, Neji I haven't had a perfect life either. My parents died in the war that destroyed the village  
years since then I have lived with my Grandmother. We don't talk much; I mean she's a nice person in all but..." She stopped and looked down  
trying to hold back the tears that were already starting to form "she's gonna die soon too. She's weak. She can't leave the house and can barely get  
around. I have to watch as she dies slowly." By now she was bawling her eyes out. She didn't have much strength to tell him anything else. She  
looked away in shame but before she could run away, she felt something touch her shoulder. She turned around surprized to see Neji's hand.

"Do you really want to know why I'm like this? If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone" she nodded and he continued,  
"My father was killed recently. He died because he was of lower status in my clan." he said while clenching his fists and holding back tears  
begging to flow. He spoke with such anger that it scared Tenten at times. He told her the entire story. When he was finished, he looked up at her  
to see if anything he said made any sence. She smiled at him and said, "Thank you for telling me." She giggled through her tears and said, "We're  
both just a big mess." she then looked at him for a response and recived a grin.

"Come on" he said, "Someone's going to start worrying where we are.

And with that they walked back to the academy. Neji went back to his usual spot under a tree while Tenten went to Sakura and smiled as a  
greeting.

"What happened? Where did you go? Did he beat you up?" Sakura rambled

"I think I might talk to him again tomorrow" she said with a smile

**A/N: Well here it is; my first fanfic. Please tell me what you think. More chapters to come.**


	2. Chapter 2

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter Two: The Ninja Academy Part 2

Tenten woke up the next day with her brain clinging on to the dream she had the previous night. The dream terrified her to the point that she didn't know any emotion but fear until breakfast. She had dreamt that her grandmother had been abducted and killed by a masked man. The awful scene kept playing through her mind; all she wanted to do was locate her grandmother to make sure that she was ok. She ran down the stairs to the living room where her grandmother usually sat rocking in her rocking chair. As soon as she saw her, her eyes lit up. Relieved, she ran over to her grandmother like she hadn't seen her in years. Her grandmother, Tomomi, smiled at Tenten's sudden appearance.

"Hello Tenten. Why are you down here in such a hurry?" the old lady hummed

"Grandmother, I just had the worst dream. You were taken and..." she trailed off not wanting to say the word 'killed' out loud

Tomomi smiled to see her granddaughter's concern for her well being and brought her into a weak embrace. "I'm not going anywhere dear."

Tenten smiled and pulled away "I better get ready or I'm going to be late for the academy." She ran upstairs to change, brush her hair and teeth, and get her bag together. Her mind was no longer on the dream but on Neji. She wants to talk to him. Talking with him the day before made her feel that her situation isn't the worst there is. She feels like she can talk to him because he has gone through something similar.

When she finally made it to the academy, she met up with Sakura and shared a few laughs with her before their first assignment. During class, there was a bit of a delay for everyone taking the shadow clone jutsu exam. There was this one student who could not get the jutsu down even if his life depended on it. "Come on Naruto" said a familiar voice in the room. Tenten scanned the room to locate the voice's owner when she saw Kiba.

She knew it would be Kiba. He never knew when to shut his mouth, but she was friends with him nonetheless. She continued scanning the room to find any other friends of hers. She saw Shikimaru looking out the window, Choji eating a bag of chips, Hinata looking at Naruto, Sakura flirting with Sauke, Ino looking at her refection, and Neji was standing patiently waiting. She went over to Hinata to get her mind off of Naruto and to answer a few questions for her.

"Hey Hinata! How's it going?"

"G-Good, thank you f-for asking" she choked out

"Well that's good. Do you mind answering a few questions for me?" she asked

"I g-guess not. What questions do y-you have?"

"Well, they are about Neji mostly. I met him yesterday and I just want to get to know him a little better. My first question is, does he have any friends?" she almost didn't want to ask this question thinking that it would be rude to assume he had none.

"N-Not that I know of" Hinata said sweetly

"Ok, question two, what is his favorite food? I thought I might do something nice for him. It's what friends are for"

"Herring s-soba. He loves i-it" she stuttered while stealing glances at Naruto

Tenten let a small smile escape when she realized why Hinata was stuttering. "If you like Naruto, then go over there and talk to him"

Hinata's face ignited with a deep blush and said "I-I d-don't like him"

"Don't be afraid Hinata. He's just a boy. Go over and talk to him." Tenten begged as she put her hand on Hinata's back pushing her slightly toward Naruto

Hinata fought back by planting her feet firmly to the safe spot. There was no way she was going to step any closer to the boy or she might die of embarrassment. Tenten understood Hinata's feelings and left her alone. She went over to Sakura to see if she was still drooling over Sasuke. Surprizingly, Tenten found no boy near her friend. She took this opportunity to talk to her about something that had been bothering her for a while. Seeing that Tenten had something on her mind, Sakura raised an eyebrow and said, "What's up Tenten?  
Do you need to talk about something?"

Shocked that she picked up her body language so fast, Tenten let out a small blush and said, "Well, do you think that we could invite Neji and Hinata to eat lunch with us?" She desperately wanted to know these two better. They interested her the moment she saw their eyes. She had never seen a Hyuga before and wanted to know as much as she could about them. Of course she knew how respected the Hyuga clan was, but she had never seen a Hyuga in her life. She wanted to take advantage of this rare opportunity to see just what their clan was like.

**A/N: I think I'm going to end this chapter right here. The next chapter will be about the conversation they have at lunch plus a few private moments with Neji and Tenten.**


	3. Chapter 3

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter Two: What is Happening in the Hyuga Clan?

After their morning classes, Tenten and Sakura met up at their usual table for lunch. They set their books and other supplies down on the table to save their seats until they got back from their mission of hunting the Hyuga cousins. Tenten immediately spotted Hinata in a corner by herself. She was not much of a talker so she kept all of her thoughts and ideas in that corner; if no one heard her, then no one would make fun of her. That was what Hinata was scared of, people making fun of her. She did not have much confidence in herself, so she stayed away from any children that intimidated her. She saw Tenten walk over to her and smiled to see someone who wanted to talk to her. "Hey Tenten. W-What are y-you doing?"

"I came to ask if you wanted to eat lunch with Sakura and me. I would love to get to know you better." Tenten said sweetly

"Th-thank you. I w-would love to join you." Hinata said through her lasting smile.

Tenten walked her to the table and told to choose any seat she wanted. Hinata sat in the one to the right of Tenten and set her lunch and supplies down on the table. Sakura came back with an irritated looking Neji and sat him down beside her. Neji glanced over at the two other people at the table and stopped when he saw Hinata. "What is she doing here?" he said in a cold, harsh voice.

Hinata backed away a little and put her hands in front of her face to hide her emotions "Sorry Neji-nissan. I will leave if that is what you want" she said without stuttering a single time. She learned how to control her stuttering around him, mostly because it did not please him.

Tenten cut in and said, "No, Hinata, you are staying." she looked over to Neji and said, "Don't be so mean."

Neji only replied by rolling his eyes and began eating his food. Sakura decided to start up a conversation "So, how about that shadow clone justu test today? That was a hard one wasn't it?"

Tenten replied, "Yeah, I don't know how I passed it. It took me forever to get that jutsu down. How do you think it went Hinata?"

Hinata hesitated to speak but she pulled herself together to reply, "It was challenging, but I did it." she ended with a smile

Neji crossed his arms and looked at the three girls, "I can't believe what I am hearing. That jutsu has to be one of the simplest ones ever attempted. You three are pathetic. Especially you Hinata. You are going to make our family look bad if you keep slipping like this."

Sakura glared at him with rage radiating off of her, "What did you say Hyuga? You think you're better than everyone else? Well let me tell you something. You are not the greatest thing to have stepped foot in this academy. You are just any other student. So don't think that you can bring other people down because you think so highly of yourself. No one else gives you a second thought. You're not special. You're a loser. No one even knows your name except us. Don't you dare talk to us, especially your cousin, like that again!"

Neji only narrowed his eyes begging for the girl to say another word. He thought 'how dare she say such words to me! I could break her in five seconds. She has the nerve to call me a loser?'

Before anything got out of hand, Tenten got up and held Neji's arms behind his back. He easily broke free from her grasp and looked at Sakura, "Take back what you said right now!" By now the whole cafeteria was watching.

Hinata spoke up and said, "Neji please stop!"

Neji shot her a glare "Stay out of this Hinata! You have no part in it!" and with that he shoved her aside making her land face first on the hard, tile floor.

Tenten ran over to Hinata to help her up "Are you all right?" Hinata replied with a nod and hugged her for comfort. Tenten just looked at Neji in fear and disgust.

Neji and Sakura got right to it and started their brawl. The whole room was roaring with children's voices egging the fight to go on. Neji succeeded in landing a few bruises and scrapes on Sakura while Sakura could not land a punch at all. Before there was any more damage caused, Iruka came running to to duel and held Neji back "Everyone sit down right now!" After he made sure the room was settled down, he brought Sakura and Neji outside to discuss the incident that just occurred.

"What has gotten in to you two? Neither of you have caused any problems until today. What happened?" Iruka waited for a response out of either one.

Sakura spoke up, "Sorry sensei. It was all my fault. We were talking about the shadow clone jutsu test and everyone thought it was difficult ... except for Neji. I guess I got a little jealous and let my temper get the best of me. I take full responsibility for the whole thing."

Neji looked at her in surprise 'Why is this girl defending me?'

Iruka asked, "Neji, is this true?"

Neji looked at Sakura and said, "No, that is false. It is true that we were talking about the test, but I made fun of them for being weaker than myself. Hearing this, Sakura questioned my reasoning and said foul things about me. Naturally, I lost my temper and started the fight."

Iruka looked at them and said, "I'm going to have to call your parents and have them come down here"

Hearing this, Neji froze. "Please Iruka sensei, do not contact my uncle. I swear I will never act up again. Just don't say anything about this to my family."

Iruka and Sakura looked at him in shock. Why is he acting so strange all of a sudden? Iruka agreed to keep the incident to himself as long as Neji stayed true to his promise. After Sakura knew she was off the hook, she went back to Tenten and Hinata to see how they were doing. She was relieved when she saw them in perfect condition, studying for the next test.

"Hey guys. Sorry I made him do that. I didn't know it would get to him that much. I'm sorry you had to get hurt Hinata." Sakura said begging for forgiveness

"It's ok. I-I've gotten u-used to it." she said shyly

Tenten looked at her questionably, "What do you mean you've gotten used to it? Does he do this to you all the time?"

Hinata hid her face in her hands feeling guilty that she had told them about Neji, "N-Not all the t-time. He doesn't m-mean it."

"Hinata, he shouldn't be doing that to you." Sakura said

"He d-does it to help me i-improve."

Tenten's brain could not handle this information 'He's mad about his father's death so he takes it out on anyone in the main branch. I need to make this right'

**A/N: Chapter three done. Sorry the last chapter was a little short. The next chapter will mainly focus on Neji and the issues he needs to work out about his father's death.**


	4. Chapter 4

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter Four: Neji's Story

**A/N: This chapter takes place four years later**.

Neji woke up the next day thinking about the fight he had with Sakura. He did not want to loose his cool like that but he thought 'If it's done, it's done'. The words she had said played through his mind on a loop. 'You're a loser'. "I'm not a loser!" he said confidently. This phrase would usually have no affect on him, but what he had to endure five years ago made him change. His father was killed for the sake of his clan. Neji could do nothing but cry when he saw his father's body spread on a table under a long piece of cloth. His uncle's life was spared at the cost of his father's. When he first laid eyes on the body, he ran to it and held its hand. There was nothing he could do to bring him back. He was only four years old. A four year old had to stand by and wait for his family to kill his father.

Of course it wasn't fair, but he had to live with it. After that day, he felt nothing but resentment to his family and anyone who tried to tell him it would get better. Frankly, he knew it would never get "better". There was nothing anyone could do to bring him back. He had to live with no parents. He had to live with no friends. He had to live like a loser; he was someone who had lost everything before his fifth birthday.

Realizing this yet again, Neji allowed himself to break down and cry where no one could see his tears. He only allowed emotion to flow when no one was watching. There was no way he would let anyone see him like this.

"Father, why did you have to go? It's not fair that that monster still walks around in this house! He is the reason you are gone. I hate that man father!" he said between sobs, "I HATE HIM!"

After he had calmed down a little, he got himself ready for the day and headed to the kitchen to retrieve an apple for his empty stomach. He took a bite and shoved another apple into his bag for lunch. He ate a light lunch so he would't take much time packing it in the morning. The sooner he could get ready, the sooner he could leave that house. He dreaded even standing near anyone from the main branch. His thoughts were interrupted when he saw a figure approach him. That figure was none other than Hiashi Hyuga, his uncle.

"Hello Neji. Would you mind training with Hinata this afternoon after school?" this was not as much a question as it was an order

"Yes, I would mind. I have my own training to do." he replied coldly

"Neji, I know you are angry about your father but you need to let it go. It has been-"

"SHUT UP! You know nothing about my father!" he interrupted

After he said what he needed to say he ran out of the house until he arrived at the academy. Because of the event from the previous day, everyone was looking strait at Neji and whispering among themselves. He had acted up yet again when someone teased him about his father's death. Tenten spotted him and went to greet him.

"Hey Neji. Just ignore those people, they don't know you. Don't let them get to you" she said while smiling sweetly at him, "I know it's hard to, but you can do it."

He just continued walking. He was already in a bad mood and did not need the kids from school making it even worse. Seeing that something was bothering him, Tenten pulled him inside an empty classroom and looked at him.

"What was that for?" he demanded

"Something's up with you, I can tell."

"Nothing happened, I just ran into my uncle this morning." he looked away not wanting to continue the conversation

"Neji you can't hide from him forever. He's your uncle."

"You don't understand. You don't know who killed your parents, I know the people that killed my father and I have to live with them."

"That's true, but I believe that you can get past that and at least talk to them. I had to get past my parents' passing."

He just glared at her, "My father was everything to me. I can't just get past it. You'll never understand"

"You're right, I don't understand but I will help you in any way I can."

After they were released for the day, Tenten met up with Neji at the front of the academy. Neji looked up at her and grinned only slightly. They were going to Tenten's house to study and just hang out. They walked in silence until they spotted a dead bird. Naturally, Tenten screamed, backed away, and held Neji's hand. Neji grinned and looked at her.

"It's just a bird."

"Yeah but it's dead. Why would someone kill it? Poor thing."

Neji picked it up to get a better look at it 'He was free until someone ended it'. He saw a hole inside its chest with dried blood around it. Neji brushed a finger over it in order to try to understand its pain. He could never feel its pain because he had never been free. He had always been the main branch's servant since he was born. 'To die right now, it wouldn't be painful; but to die with freedom is the meaning of pain. No one would care if I died right now. I'm only a nine years old servant. I have no friends and as far as I'm concerned, no family'. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Tenten putting her hand on his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" she begged

"Nothing" he said not wanting to show emotion to her

"Something is wrong. Tell me, I'm not here to judge."

He let silence cover them for a moment, "Do you think anyone would miss me if I was gone?"

She looked in his eyes to tell if he was serious or not. He was dead serious. "Neji don't talk like that. Plenty of people would miss you."

"Who" he demanded an answer

"I would. I look forward to seeing you at school. You are a mystery and I want to know more about you. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if you left."

He let her words sink in, "Tenten?"

"Yeah"

"Thank you"

Tenten wrapped her arms around him waiting for him to protest and break free. Surprisingly, he let her hug him. She released him and gave him a small smile. A little while later, she started walking again to ease some of the tension. They arrived at her house about six minutes later and stood at the door step.

"Do you want to meet my grandmother?" Tenten asked

"I would love to." he replied sincerely

They walked into the living room and went over to Tomomi. Tenten introduced Neji, "Grandmother, I brought a friend over. He's going to help me study for the next test."

"Oh, he must be a bright young man. What is his name dear?" Tomomi replied

"He is very smart, top of the class actually, and his name is Neji"

"Nice to meet you Neji." Tomomi said while reaching out to shake his hand

Neji accepted "Thank you ma'am."

"Well, we're going up in my room. Call me if you need anything" Tenten said. She grabbed Neji's wrist and led him to her room.

"She seems very nice. You're lucky to have someone in your life like that." Neji said

"Yeah, she's great. She asks me about my day every time I come home, she knows just the right thing to say to calm me down, and she gives me great advice. I see her more as a mother than a grandmother." she paused for a little bit, "What was your mother like?"

"I never got the chance to meet her. She died giving birth to me." he looked away, "It's all my fault that she's dead."

"Neji, don't say things like that. I'm sure she knew what she was doing. She brought someone special to your father. You were her gift to her husband. Think about it that way."

He smiled for the first time in years and looked at her, "I remember my father used to say that I was his gift. I never knew what that meant until now. Thank you Tenten."

"No problem. I want to see you happy. You have been unhappy for way to long."

He sat there in shock, "How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Make me smile about my father."

She smiled and scooted closer to him, "You just need to know the right thing to say"

**A/N: This was a very emotional chapter I think. I don't want Neji to sound like a cry baby, because he's not. I just wanted to show the emotions he tries to hide from everyone. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter will take place during their genin years.**


	5. Chapter 5

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter Five: Team Gai

**A/N: This chapter is mostly dialogue**.

A few years later, when they were twelve years old, they were assigned to team Gai. Tenten ran to Neji to express her excitement. She clung to his sleeve and started rambling about all of the missions they would go on . Neji just smirked at her childish behavior. True, he was excited to be on a team with his best friend, but he thought it might hinder his abilities to successfully complete a mission. He thought that Tenten would cling to him and talk to him when she was not supposed to and get him killed. He knew this was wrong to think about but he  
still couldn't fully trust anyone.

"Aren't you excited Neji?"

"I guess. Who is Rock Lee?" he said changing the subject

"I don't know. I've never heard of him."

"I'm going to look for him. You can go talk to Sakura."

And with that Neji left to go look for his teammate. He when to Iruka to see if he could point him in the right direction. Iruka pointed to a boy in the back of the room. The boy was just sitting down; he had no friends to congradulate or talk to. Neji had seen him around once or twice, but never thought anything of him. He heard a rumor that he could not use nin-jutsu. He was sure this was a rumor now. 'If he can't use nin-jutsu, he would not have become a genin' Neji thought. His curiosity got the best of him and he walked towrd Lee. He passed by Sakura hugging Sasuke with all her might and Tenten talking to Naruto. He finally reached Lee and looked him in the eyes.

"I'm Neji Hyuga, your new teammate."

"Hello Neji, I am Rock Lee. Do you know the other child in this team? I can't remember their name."

"Her name is Tenten. Yes, I know her. We have been friends for quite a while." he said pointing to her, "She's the one with the buns in her hair."

Lee blushed, "That's her? She is beautiful! I shall have her Neji Hyuga."

Neji's eye twitched in jealousy, "She does not need a boyfriend, she has me." He stopped for a minute 'What did I just say? She's not mine. She is just my friend.'

"So you two are going out?" Lee asked

"Of course not. I would never let her get that close to me. She is just someone I talk to." he said defending himself

"Riiigghht, just a friend. Gotcha" he said while nudging his shoulder

"Shut up." he said then walked off to go to Tenten

Sakura looked at him and said, "Tenten, look who's here"

Tenten blushed and shushed Sakura, "Shut up Sakura"

Neji spoke up, "What's going on?"

"Nothing I just-" Tenten started to say

"Tenten's in love with you Neji" Sakura interrupted

To say Neji was surprised is an understatement, "What?"

"Neji, don't listen to her. I just told her you looked nice today. That's it" Tenten tried to defend herself

"Thank you, I guess. Come up here and meet our new teammate. He might reciprocate your feelings better than I can." he said a little coldly

She frowned as she walked up to meet Lee, "Hello, I'm Tenten. You must be Rock Lee"

"Hello my beautiful teammate. I am Rock Lee. It is a pleasure to meet you." he said overly excited

Neji spoke to save Tenten, "So, where is our sensei?" Just then, a huge cloud of smoke appeared and within it, a turtle.

"What is a turtle doing popping up in the middle of nowhere?" Tenten asked

"Surprisingly, that is npid question right now." Neji stated

The turtle replied with, "Neji, Tenten, what unyouthful things to say."

"Did that turtle just...talk?" Lee asked

"Yes I did!" the turtle said. He then changed into a grown man in tight green spandex and gave a thumbs up. "Hello team Gai. I look forward to teaching you."

**A/N: This chapter is very boring, so I'll end it right here. I completely rushed this chapter. I want to get to some drama and that isn't going to happen in this chapter. Next chapter will be better; I promise. It will also have a time skip. I'm thinking about four years.**


	6. Chapter 6

True Love Always Lasts  
Capter Six: Teenagers

**A/N: Everyone is 16 and Saksuke has not left the village.**

Lately all Tenten could think of was Sasuke. She didn't know why, but she kept wondering if he found any girl attractive. 'Am I getting a crush on Sasuke?' she asked herself. There was no way she could possibly want to date the boy. She had only talked to him a handful of times, but every time she talked to him, his voice would make her melt like butter. She loved that voice of his. It wasn't like Lee's or Neji's, it was more masculine than any boy she had met. His voice only added to his overall appeal; she also loved his attitude. He was too cool for anyone. He had this bad boy thing going on that just made her like him more. In a lot of ways, he was like Neji, but Neji could never be as great as Sasuke as far as she was concerned. She got ready, determined that she would let Sasuke know how she felt.

At the training grounds, Neji began working on a new jutsu. This was his usual routine: get up, call Tenten to wake her up, get ready, go to the training grounds, wait for Tenten.  
But today Tenten was running a little late. She usually came five minutes after he did. It had been thirty minutes since he arrived. Thinking something might have happened to her, Neji picked  
up his phone and called Tenten.

"Hello" she answered

"Tenten, where are you? I thought we were going to train today."

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you I had other plans." she said with a smile

"And what might these plans include?" he said hoping she was not training with someone else

She giggled before she spoke, "I'm going to meet Sasuke"

"Why?" he said flatly

"You wouldn't understand"

"Tenten stop being difficult."

"I like him ok Neji. And don't you even think of ruining this for me." she said knowing that he would cut into anything that made her give up training

"I won't, but be careful, he isn't trustworthy. I swear if you come to me crying about him, I will not help you."

"Whatever. Bye Neji." and with that, she hung up

Neji just stood in place thinking out loud, "How could she do this? She knows I need her here. I need to get stronger and there is no way I'm training with Lee. She's running off looking for a guy that won't even treat her right. Why would she run to him anyway? He's not handsome. He's arrogant. He thinks he's better than everyone else. That guy really gets on my nerves thinking he can just steal Tenten. What am I supposed to do now?" About twenty minutes later, he had calmed down and started to meditate until he heard someone approaching. Out of pure reflex, he grabbed a kuni and shouted "Who's there!" He could see someone in the bushes; they had buns in their hair.

"So you finally decided to show up?" he said coldly

"That's not the proper way to greet a lady, is it Neji?" he heard a male voice say

"Shut up"

"Don't be rude" he heard Tenten say.

Tenten and the man jumped in front of Neji as he narrowed his eyes when he saw who it was, "What are you doing here Uchiha?"

"Tenten said she skipped out on training today to come and see me. I thought that you would be mad if I took your precious Tenten away from your training session, so I brought her here."

Neji glared at him, "Leave us alone. You have dropped her off, now leave."

"Now why would I do that?", he asked with a grin, "I don't want to leave my girlfriend with you."

Tenten smiled and grabbed onto Sasuke's hand

"Girlfriend?! Since when have you ever found Tenten attractive?"

"I have always thought she was beautiful. Until today, I was never sure if she returned my feelings." he said teasing him

"Come on Sasuke. Neji is just going to tell us to break up"

"Whatever you say" he said and then brought her in for a kiss, making sure Neji was watching.

As he planned, Neji was bothered by the kiss and pulled him away from her, "What was that?!" Neji demanded

"I was just showing Tenten how much I love her. You have a problem Hyuga?" Sasuke threatened

Neji glared at Sasuke and hit him with full force. Sasuke grinned, "Is that all you got?" then he kicked Neji with as much force. Seconds later, it turned into an all-out fight. They set out to kill each other. Tenten could do nothing but watch the two men she cared about fight to the death. Sasuke burned down nearly every tree around them using a variety of jutsus while Neji made the ground around him almost nonexistent. They clashed with so much power it destroyed everything within a fifty meter radius. Luckily, Tenten had retreated before she got hurt. The clash sent ninja from around the village to their location. Sasuke and Neji had near death injuries already. This was to be expected from the prodigies from the best clans in the  
village. The fight drug on for a while longer until Hiashi and Tsunade got word of it. They ran to the battle and broke up the fight immediately.

"GET OFF OF ME UNCLE! LET ME KILL THAT SON OF A-!" Neji yelled but was interrupted by Hiashi's hand slapping his mouth

"GET LOST HYUGA! NO ONE WANTS YOU!" Sasuke said spitting in Neji's direction

Tsunade got a hold of Sasuke and covered his mouth, "Shut up Sasuke! There is no use in progressing this fight!"

Neji's eyes shook with rage, "THIS ISN'T OVER UCHIHA! I WILL KILL YOU!"

"That's enough Neji!" Hiashi said and brought him back home

"What was that about? You have usually had a bad temper, but this is just over the edge." Hiashi asked

Neji didn't answer him, but clenched his fists. He was still shaking from rage

"Neji, answer me!" he said in a more stern voice.

"Just shut up! I don't need you questioning me!" Neji said raising his voice to his uncle for the first time in his life

Hiashi glared at his nephew and activated Neji's curse seal. Neji screamed out in pain and fell down to the floor. "Don't you EVER raise your voice to me!" he said then released the seal

Neji glared at him and stood back up, "I'm leaving". And with that, he ran out the door and made his way to Tenten's house.

************************************************** ************************************************** ************************************************** ******  
Back to Sasuke

Tsunade looked at him and said, "WHY DID YOU START A FIGHT WITH SOMEONE?! YOU ARE ALWAYS GETTING YOURSELF INTO TROUBLE! WHY?"

"He threw the first punch. He's the one you should be talking to. I was just defending myself." he said without a care

"I don't want to here that lame excuse! It doesn't matter who started it! You need to be the bigger man and walk away from something as childish as that."

"Whatever"

"What were you fighting about?" she asked

"Hyuga got jealous because I kissed Tenten. So really, he's the immature one." he said hoping he would get off the hook.

"Is that really what this whole fight was about? A girl?"

Sasuke nodded

Tsunade sat down in her seat, "Stupid teenagers."

**A/N: This chapter was fun. I finally have some conflict. Next chapter will be the aftermath of the fight. Thanks for reading this far.**


	7. Chapter 7

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter Seven: The Confession...s

After Neji ran out of his house, he went as fast as he could to get to Tenten. He needed to say something to to her, but he wasn't sure what. Did he want to apologize, confess his feelings, or tell her why Sasuke was no good for her? The truth is, he didn't even know if what Sasuke and she have is real. He prayed to god it wasn't, but there was nothing he could do. He kept thinking about that kiss. 'How dare he take Tenten's first kiss like that! He has no right!' he thought as he approached her house. He stood at the front door for a minute or two to get his thoughts together. 'Ok, you can do this. Just tell her you're sorry.' he told himself. He slowly brought his hand up to the door and knocked. 'This is it. When she opens that door, I have to tell her everything.' he thought. She opened the door, but as soon as she saw who it was she closed the door. Neji stopped her by putting his foot in the way of the door.

"I need to talk to you." he said calmly

"Neji, I don't want to hear how it was all Sasuke's fault. Don't you think it's a little childish to come here for that." she said opening the door

"I didn't come here for that. I came to apologize."

"Come in. I don't want everyone watching when I yell at you."

He walked into the house and greeted her grandmother. Tenten led him up to her room and said, "What do you want?"

He looked her in the eyes and began his speech, "Tenten, I know what I did was wrong. I should have just left him alone. There was no reason for me to get that angry. I'm sorry I ruined your date. I didn't know how much you...loved Sasuke. I promise not to interfere with any of your dates. With that said, I hope you and Sasuke can make it work. What I am mostly sorry for is that I put your life in danger. My anger escalated to a dangerous level and I just went at him. I never realized you were still there. Hurting you is the last thing I want to do."

"Neji. Why did you get so mad when he kissed me?" she said needing to know

"Tenten, please don't make me tell you." he begged

She scooted closer to him, "I want to know. Do you like me Neji? Are you jelous of Sasuke?" she said with a grin

He looked at her and let out a slight blush, something only Tenten could see, "It doesn't matter how I feel. You are with Sasuke, and I am your friend. If I have feelings for you, then that would destroy any bond we have."

"Neji?"

"Yes?"

"I know how you feel. I can read you like a book. All I need to hear is a confession, and I will leave Sasuke." she bargened

He blushed yet again and looked away, "You know I can't do that. I don't have that type of affection toward you."

"Neji, don't lie. I can see it written all over your face. If this is a pride thing, then you can forget about it. I want a man, like Sasuke, who can tell me he loves me." she said hoping that if she mentioned Sausuke his confession would come sooner.

He looked in her direction again, "I can tell you how I feel."

"Then do it. Come on Neji, I've been waiting years for you to say it." she begged

"I will tell you how I feel if you tell me, by any chance, that you are...attracted to me. I'm not going to make a fool of myself." he stated

"Fine, have it your way. But keep in mind, you asked for it." she said as she crawled on to his lap, "Neji, I love you more than anything. If you really need to hear it, I don't like Sasuke as much as I love you. You have been there for me through everything. I want you to stay with me. Please don't run off to another girl. With your looks, girls are just lining up to be yours", she said while bringing her hands up to his hair and brushing her fingers through it, "You are my friend, but I want you to be more than that. Neji, please tell me you feel the same."

His face became redder and redder with everything that she said. 'Why am I blushing so much? I'm making a complete fool of myself.' he thought. He reached up to grab her hands and held them in his. He took a deep breath, "Tenten, I don't know if this is the right thing to say, but I love you. You were the first person to show me any kindness and I am grateful for that. You stood by me no matter how many times I lost my cool. I lost it today. Seeing someone else kiss you...it made me so angry. I want to be the only one who can kiss you." he said and leaned in for a kiss. Tenten replied by capturing his lips with hers, while she ran her hands up his back to deepen it.

She smiled at his sudden show of affection, "I love you so much Neji Hyuga!"

He smiled back at her, "How do you always get me to smile?"

"I told you. You just need to know the right thing to say" she said then kissed him again

A few minutes passed and they decided to go train. They ran down the stairs and to the training grounds. All they could do was wonder what the other was thinking. When they arrived, they got right to it. Neji dodged all of her weapons, while Tenten evaded every attack he through. The match lasted for about thirty minutes. They took a break under Neji's favorite tree, the one he would meditate under after he trained. Tenten just watched as he sat in complete silence.

"Neji?"

"Hm?"

"Why do you do that?"

"It keeps me calm. I listen to everything around me and try not to think of the things that are going on in my head."

"So all you have to do is listen and not think?"

"Exactly"

She grinned and said, "You look kind of cute when your serious"

He let out a small blush and continued meditating

'This is going to be fun. He is going to be so embarrassed when I'm done' she thought

She smiled at the thought that she could break down his walls so easily. She wasn't taking advantage of him, she just loved seeing him blush. She started her mission by placing her hand on his thigh. He didn't do anything, so she thought if she got a little closer to his you know what, she could make his face look like a tomato. She thought of something better than that. She slid her hand to the top of his pants and started pulling them down. She almost couldn't contain her laughter when he flinched from the action. She decided to leave that part of his body alone and slid her hand underneath his shirt.

"I never knew you were so well built" she said in a seductive voice

She got her wishes when he blushed once more. "Tenten, I'm trying to relax. You are making that very difficult. Will you please stand on the other side of the training grounds?" he said in a serious tone

She frowned and said, "Fine" but gave him a kiss before she left.

After an hour passed, he was finished meditating. He opened his eyes to find Tenten trying to meditate. He couldn't help but grin at the girl. She looked so peacefull. He didn't want to ruin her quiet time. He sat next to her and put his hand over her's. She replied with a smile and opened her eyes.

"So you finally woke up" she said

"Yes I did. Do you want something to eat?" he asked

"Yeah! I'm starved. We need to go to Ichiraku"

"Ok, I'll pay for you so get anything you want."

"Really? You're the best!"

They walked to the ramen shop and saw team 7 eating lunch. Neji glared at Sasuke and looked at Tenten. She told him that she would handle it and continued walking. She sat next to Sakura and Neji sat next to Naruto.

"Hey guys. I haven't seen you two in forever." Sakura said and hugged Tenten

"I know it's been a while. What have you been doing?" Tenten asked

"You know, missions. We just got back from one actually."

Sasuke spoke up, "Tenten, can I talk to you. In private"

Hearing this, Neji shot him a glare but Tenten took Sasuke by the hand and walked him over to where Neji would not see them, "What's wrong Sasuke?"

"I just wanted to apologise for what happened between me and Neji. I want you to be my real girlfriend, not just someone I can tease Neji with. The truth is, I love you." he confessed

"I thought you and Sakura were together." she said dodging his feelings

"We were for a while but I found that I love you more. Please take me back. You won't regret it." he said then kissed her

"Honestly, I don't know if I want you back or not. We only went out for a day, and Neji told me he loved me a while ago."

"I get it. Hyuga came to you first, so you're going to pick him. Now I feel like an idiot, telling you how I feel and you automatically turn me down. You know what, I'm sorry I even asked" he said then started to walk off to finish his dinner

Tenten grabbed his hand, "Sasuke, wait. If you can prove to me that you really do care about me, then I will leave Neji. I just want to get to know you. I'll sneak out tonight and come to your house if you want me to. If I leave during the day, Neji might suspect something."

He smirked, "Alright, be at my house at midnight." he said then walked her back over to the group.

"Come here Tenten." she heard Neji say

She went to him and said, "What? Nothing happened"

He pulled her down to sit next to him, "Sit here"

She looked at him confused, "Why are you being so rude?"

"Sorry, I did not know I was being rude. Will you please sit next to me?" he corrected

"I would love to" she said and started eating

When they were finished eating they got their bills Neji picked Tenten's up and said, "I'll handle that"

Sasuke looked at him, "What if I wanted to pay for it? Let me have the ticket Hyuga"

"No, I said that I have it covered."

"I want to pay for it!"

"I told her I would pay!"

They sat there glaring at each other, "Give me the ticket Hyuga!"

"Pay for Sakura's Uchiha!"

Sasuke got up and stood over Neji, "Do you thing you scare me?" Neji asked

"I know I do. Your scared I'm going to steal Tenten from you."

"She will never go to you. She loves me. Now get lost Uchiha."

"She just told me she loved me. Remember when I wanted to talk to her? We were making plans to see each other!"

Neji looked at Tenten, "Is this true?"

She looked away, "Neji, I just want to get to know him better. It's nothing"

"Fine, go to Sasuke. At least you're not seeing him behind my back. I knew I should have never told you anything! You made me trust you so I would lower my guard! Have fun with Sasuke!"

"Neji, please. Don't leave" she said as he got up

"Too late. Go cry to your boyfriend." he said and stormed off

Naruto just sat in his seat enjoying the show until Sakura pulled him away, "Let's go Naruto, they need some space."

**A/N: It's gettin good now! Keep reading to find out who Tenten will chose.**


	8. Chapter 8

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter Eight: Neji or Sasuke?

Tenten looked at Sasuke, "What am I going to do now? I went out with Neji for a little over an hour and I already blew it. This is all your fault!"

Sasuke brought her into his embrace, "Tenten, you don't need him. I'm here for you. There is a reason I stayed and he left. He obviously can't handle a relationship."

She looked up to him, "I guess you're right. He never was big on sharing his feelings but... he told me that he loved me. It felt genuine. I just hope he doesn't hate me. I want to stay with you Sasuke. I feel like this will work better than if I was with Neji."

"It will. You won't regret your decision." he said then kissed her

Little did they know, Neji hadn't gone far at all; he was hiding behind the restaurant to see if they would say something about him. He usually didn't care what other people thought of him, but this was different, this was Tenten. When he heard that she chose Sasuke, his heart broke 'So this is it? I finally let her see how I feel, and she leaves me within a couple of hours? The only person I ever really cared about left me for someone I can't stand. I guess I should get over it. I knew it would never last.' he thought and walked away.

"Neji, what are you still doing here?" Tenten asked with a hint of fear in her voice

"Nothing. I was just leaving. Don't pay any attention to me." he said without giving her a glance

She ran over to him, "Let me work this out." she begged hanging on to his arm

"What is there to work out? Tell me Tenten. You have made it very clear that you do not want me. You lied to me. You told me you loved me and I fell for it. You don't care about me. I'm going to leave to spare the dignity I have left." he said then took his arm away from her

Tears started streaming down her face, "Neji please, I want you! Don't leave. Don't leave"

Seeing her cry made him stop in his tracks. He looked over and saw Sasuke already comforting her, "Don't cry. I'm here for you, you don't need him" Sasuke said

She looked at Neji, "Give me one day and I will tell you who I chose. This is too stressful right now." she said through her tears

"Fine" Neji said

"Take all the time you need" Sasuke said wiping the tears from her face

Neji then walked over to him, "Will you please let me talk to her. Don't worry, I won't try to persuade her to chose me. I just want to confirm something."

Sasuke nodded not wanting to start a fight when Tenten was in such bad shape. He ran off to his house to leave them alone. Neji looked at her and said, "All I want is for you to answer one question. Will you answer it?"

She nodded, "Yes"

"Remember what you told me when we were at your house? You said that you loved me. You told me not to run off with another girl because you wanted me all to yourself.", he could see her getting flustered. He placed his hands on her cheeks, making sure she would look at him as he asked her his question, "Why did you ask me to do something that you yourself could not do?"

Her tears started again, "I'm sorry Neji. You have to believe me, I am sorry. I didn't know that I would be so weak. I can't control myself. I had never been the center of so much attention. I loved it so much, I had to have you and Sasuke. I knew it was selfish, but I did it anyway." she clung to his shirt and lied her head down on his chest.

"I understand why you did what you did, but you still hurt me." he said placing his hand on her head

"I never meant to hurt you. That is the last thing I want to do. I'll tell Sasuke that I want you ... and only you." she said and then looked up at him with a smile

"There is no need. I do not love you any longer. You shattered my trust in you the last time I gave in to a relationship." he said backing away

"Please don't leave me." she said falling to her knees and clinging to his leg, "I love you more than anything!" she started crying with full force, "Neji, I promise I won't cheat, lie, or harm our relationship in any way! Please Neji!"

He smiled at her and picked her up, "Why are you smiling? You never smile; Why now?" she demanded

"Look at yourself. You are begging me to stay with you. Why should I stay with someone who broke my heart?"

"You shouldn't stay with me. You're too good for me. You would never cheat or lie. I did both and it cost me the best man I ever met. Do you want to know why you should stay with me? The only thing I can think of is that I love you. I'm not pretty, I'm not strong, I'm not rich, I don't have any special talents, the list goes on and on. The one thing I have is my heart, and I am giving it to you." she said holding back tears

He took her in his arms and said, "That's all I needed to hear". And with that, he kissed her with everything he had.

When he finally broke the kiss, she looked at him in confusion, "I don't get it. You said you didn't love me any more."

"That was a test. I wanted to see if you would actually care if I left. My question was answered." he said with a grin

"You're a jerk you know." she said hugging him

"I know." he said tightening the hug

They went to Neji's house a little while later and went into his room. Neji had something important to show her. He sat her down on his bed and started looking through his belongings. Tenten looked around surprised at how big his room was. His bed was queen sized, he had his own bathroom, there was room to store all of his weapons and cloths, then she saw something that blew her mind. In the corner of his room, she saw something so beautiful. She thought, 'There is no way that Neji owns this. I never knew he liked that sort of thing.' What she  
saw was a black baby grand piano that was absolutely breathtaking.

"Is this really your room Neji?" she asked surprised

"Yes, is there something wrong with it?"

"Not at all. This room is magnificent."

"Thank you. It's too big for my liking, but I'm not complaining."

"I saw that piano over there. Do you play?" she asked stupidly

"Yes I do. I know it's not the coolest thing to do in one's free time, but my father loved classical music, so I decided to pick it up."

"You just became five times more attractive. You have to let me see you play tomorrow."

"All right, whatever you say." he said then turned around walking to her

She pulled him down next to her, "What was it that you wanted to show me?"

"This," he said and held out a small book, "This book is where I write down everything I try to hide. I know it's not that manly, but it's kind of like a diary. I want you to know everything about me before we commit to a relationship."

"Neji, have you ever been on a date before?"

"No, why?"

"I don't need to know everything about you. I want to be surprised when I find something out about you. I don't want to ruin it by reading all of your secrets. We are going on a date tomorrow and we will learn about each other." she said and tossed the book across the bed

"I'm sorry. That was very rude of me to give you that." he said with a slight blush from his embarrassment

"No worries." she said grinning, "You know, it's nice to know that you trust me so much."

He smiled and kissed her forehead, "Do you trust me?"

"That doesn't even deserve an answer, of course I do." she said then kissed him

He wrapped his arms around her and lowered her so she was laying on the bed. She ran her hands through his hair and untied it, letting it fall around her face. He broke the kiss but led a trail of them across her neck. She pulled his body down to her to make him get as close as he could. He went back to her lips and showed her how much he loved her. He finally broke the kiss and backed away to see her face. He smiled when he saw how much she missed his touch already.

"Why did you stop?" she complained

"I didn't want to go too far"

"We were just making out. It's not a crime"

"I stopped because I wanted more than that. I am not used to this sort of affection." he said embarrassed

"I understand." she said and got up, "I better get home. It's already late."

"Do you want me to walk you?" he asked

"I would love that."

**A/N: Sorry I made Neji act like a little girl. I know he is out of character, but I like it. It makes the story more interesting. As always, thanks for reading and please tell me if there is anything you think would add to the story. The next chapter will be when Neji and Tenten go on their first date.**


	9. Chapter 9

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter Nine: The Date ... or Not

Neji woke up the next morning looking forward to the events of the day. He had finally told Tenten how he felt and to his surprise, she accepted his feelings. There was no way he would let her leave him now. He wouldn't let her go back to Sasuke. He finally won the battle and there was no way he would let Sasuke pull any tricks. Yep, Neji was completely happy for the first time in a very long time. He had the girl of his dreams; there was nothing that could bring him down ... until his uncle walked in.

"Neji, get ready. You have important meetings to attend today. You also need to work some training into your scedule."

"Uncle, I have plans for today. The meetings will have to wait for another day."

"You can't just postpone these things Neji. You have to take on your responsibilities."

"Why can't someone else step in for me? I'm just a branch member."

"You are the only one requested for these meetings; they are about you. No one else can fill in." he said sternly

"I made a promise to a friend that I would be with her today."

"You will have to tell her that you are busy today. Do what you want tomorrow, today is dedicated to your clan."

"Fine, just let me go to her and tell her that." he said putting on his shoes

"Don't take too long; be back in ten minutes."

Neji rolled his eyes and ran to Tenten's house. He rung the doorbell waiting for an answer, "Coming", he heard a female voice say.

She opened the door and smiled when she saw his face, "Neji? Why are you here so early? Our date isn't until tonight."

He sighed, "About that, I'm going to have to push that back for tomorrow."

"What? Why?" she said with a shaky voice

"Don't worry, I just have to take care of some things in my clan. I tried to reason with my uncle, but he wouldn't budge." he said and took her in his arms

"Our date better be ten times better tomorrow." she said, then she remembered something, "You said you would play some piano today too. looks like you have a lot to do tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'll do the best I can." he said then kissed her, "I have to go. I promise I will make it up to you tomorrow."

"Ok, good luck at your meetings." she said and closed the door

He went back to his house and found his uncle, "I'm ready uncle. Where do I need to go?"

"Right in here." he said stepping into a medium sized room.

There were three elders sitting at the back of the room. Neji thought, 'This must be serious if they brought three elders. It's usually just one and my uncle'. He took this as a sign to get focused on the meeting. What could be so important about him? Was there something he did that broke the strict rules of the clan? There was no way.

"We have been waiting for you Neji" said one of the elders

"Pardon my tardiness. I was not expecting to go to a meeting this morning, so I had to cancel my plans." Neji said respectfully

"As you already know, you are one of the most gifted members of our clan. Because of this, we want you only to become stronger."

"I understand. What do you wish to do with me? I will put in extra hours of training if you want me to."

Hiashi spoke up, "You are at an age were you are to marry soon. We only want what is best for you and for our clan. Because of the Byakugan, you need to find a young lady within the clan to be your wife."

Neji stood up, "No.", he said sternly, "I will marry whoever I want. I do not mean to be disrespectful, but I do not want to marry anyone anytime soon."

"Neji calm down. This is to help you. If you were to have children with someone outside of the clan, the Byakugan would not be as strong in that child as it would be with the mother from this clan. Do not make this difficult Neji."

"What if I don't love my wife? If I do not love her, I will not attempt to have children with her."

"We want you to get to know them. We are not going to rush you into marrige." Hiashi clarified

"I refuse to have my bride chosen for me." Neji finished and walked out of the room.

Hiashi went to the young man, "Neji be respectful. There is no reason to walk out of something as serious as this. Come back in and we can work this out.", he bargained

"I have someone I love already. I am not going to leave her."

"Who is this girl? Are you planning on marrying her?"

"I have only been seeing her for a day or two. I don't know if I want to marry her."

"Who is she Neji?"

"I'm not going to tell you who it is. You will find her and make sure she never sees me again because of your stupid plan."

"I will do no such thing. I just want to know if she is worthy of you. You are very strong and I do not want to see a girl bring you down."

"Don't say "worthy". She is not an object, she is a person. And if you must know, she has made me stronger. I have been training with her." he said with anger threading through every word

"I will allow it for now, but I am not sure that the elders feel the same. You need to talk to them."

"I am not going to talk to them. I have already had enough. I am leaving." he said and ran out the door before Hiashi could catch him.

He didn't know where he was going, but he did not want to see Tenten right now. If he saw her, there was no way he could look at her without thinking about his clan's decision. He needed peace and quiet, so he went to the forest right outside the village to meditate. He needed to clear his mind of everything that had happened in the past few days.

Tenten was sitting on her couch looking through scrapbooks she had made of her childhood years. She flipped through each page; her heart was filled with nostalgia. She wished she could go back and live through those carefree years. 'When did everything get so complicated and dramatic?' she asked herself. She came across a picture of Naruto and giggled to herself. "You haven't changed at all Naruto. You're still the hyperactive ninja you were back then." she said with a smile. The next photo she saw was one of team Gai. Oh, how she wished those days had never passed! Everyday was exciting when she was with her three boys. Now, everyone had gone their separate ways: Gai is an anbu, Lee has his own genin team, and Neji is always off on missions. She was the only chunin let on her team. It made her feel like she would never get anywhere in her life. Everyone always outshone her. She let it go for a while and continued looking through the book. Her activity was interrupted when she heard a knock at the door.

"Coming", she said then pulled the door open, "Sasuke? Why are you here?"

"You said you would tell me who you chose today remember?"

"Oh yeah. I chose Neji. I've known him longer and he seems to really care about me."

"I care about you too. Can I spend today with you? You don't know me that well and I want to change that."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt anyone if we just talked. Come on in" she said and opened the door a little more for him to enter

"Thank you Tenten." he said and sat on the couch, "What's this?" he said holding up the scrapbook

"It's a scrapbook of when we were kids. I needed something to do, so I pulled it out and started looking through it."

"Can I look through it?" he asked

"Yeah, let's look through it together."

He flipped back to the first page to see a picture of Tenten on her first day at the academy. Sasuke grinned, "That's you?"

She blushed and said, "Yep, that's me. I looked so weird back then."

"No you didn't. You look kind of cute in this picture" he said and turned the page. The next photo was her and Sakura about a week after they first met.

"I love that one. She was my best friend. We would do everything together." she said with a smile

"She talks about you all the time"

"We has fun back then" she said and turned the page

This page had a picture of Neji as a little boy sitting under his favorite tree. She flipped the page as quickly as she could. Sasuke looked at her, confused. "Why did you flip over that one?"

"I don't like to think about him as a child. It makes me want to cry."

"Why is that?"

"He was so lonely back then. He used to sit in front of that tree everyday we went outside to play. There was no happiness in him at all. He's finally happy. I never want to see him like that again." she said on the verge of tears

He closed the book and hugged her, trying to get her to calm down. "I know how he feels. I went through the same thing he did, but it was my entire family. I know you don't want to hear  
this, but my life sucks. His life used to be like mine, but you are the only thing that makes him feel happy. I despise him because he has you."

"Sasuke don't say things like that. You will find someone who loves you. I am not the only one out there. Go back to Sakura; she never stops thinking about you."

"I will try. Thank you Tenten." he said and stood up, "I'm going now. Tell me if you need anything alright."

"Ok, see you later" she said as he left

**A/N: Thanks for reading. I know this isn't the date, but I felt like I needed to add something to the story before they went on their first date. I also needed to tie up the loose ends on the Sasuke thing. Sorry it took a bit longer to update this time.**


	10. Chapter 10

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter Ten: How Will it Last?

Neji knew he had to tell Tenten about what happened in his meeting, but he didn't want her to think he was leaving her. He needed to tell her, but he couldn't. He had only been in a relationship with her for a few days, and there was already so much stress on him. He knew he loved Tenten, but he is not ready to think about marriage. Since he had been in this relationship, his life had become so much more complicated. He tossed around the idea of breaking up with her, but he thought that it would only make things worse. There was nothing he could do but hope for the best. He needed someone to talk to; He needed someone who would understand and listen to him. That someone popped in his mind a moment later and he ran off  
to their house. He knocked on the door and waited for an answer.

The door opened to reveal Tenten, "Hey Neji. What are you doing here?"

"I need to speak with your grandmother." he said

"Ok? Why?"

"I just need to talk to her. Can you go with Sakura until I'm finished? I promise I won't take long." he said holding her hands

"Anything you want Neji. Don't forget about our date tonight." she said then left, but not before she kissed him on the cheek.

He smiled and brushed his fingertips against the warm skin his girlfriend's lips had just touched. He walked to Tomomi and sat next to her wheelchair, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Take all the time you need, but before you start, do you want some tea? I just made some and I'm not sure I can finish it all." she said with a wide smile

"I would love some, thank you." he said then grabbed an extra cup, "You are so kind"

"It is the least I could do for you Neji. You have helped me countless times over the years." she said placing a hand on his lap

He grinned but it was soon washed over with a more serious look, "Tomomi, I have something very important I need to talk about."

"What is it? Are you moving?" she asked with worry

"No ma'am, I am staying here. I don't know exactly what I want to ask, but I will tell you my predicament. I need to know if you have any advice for me." he took a sip of his tea to calm his nerves then began talking, "You are aware that Tenten and I are romantically involved now correct?", she replied with a nod, "Ok, as you know, I am a Hyuga and I must carry out my family's wishes and traditions. I was called to a private meeting yesterday that intailed a very important trdition. The Hyuga Elders told me that I must marry inside the clan. They want my child to be powerful; they think that if the mother is someone other than a Hyuga, then the child will be worthless. I am only sixteen, almost seventeen, I have not planned on marrying anyone, but I know that at this moment, I am in love with Tenten. I don't want our relationship to end because of something as silly as this."

She looked at him and took his hands in her weak, bony ones, "Neji you don't need any advice. You know what you want. You have known Tennie almost all of your life: I don't think you are the type of man that would leave his lifelong friend, would you?"

"No. I love her Tomomi, but since I started dating her, both of our lives have become a little bit more difficult. I don't want to stress her out so much that she leaves me."

"No relationship is without struggle. The sooner you learn that, the sooner your relationship will get better. Don't worry about her stress level; she comes home telling me all about how happy she is. She is calmer now than she has ever been." she said and sipped her tea

"Thank you for telling me that. You are a blessing to me. I will go home and tell my uncle I am staying with Tenten." he said with a smile

She tried to get up so she could hug him goodbye, but Neji was having none of that; he let her sit down in her chair and he brought his arms around her himself, "Thank you" he said

He wrapped up his goodbyes and ran as fast as he could to his house, "Uncle where are you!" he yelled through the halls. He didn't care if he was disturbing the peace, he had something important to say.

Hiashi came to him, "Neji that was rude. Why would you-" but he was cut off by his nephew's words

"I don't want to marry a Hyuga. I want to date whoever I want, and there is nothing you can say or do to stop me." he said trying to regain his breath

"Neji, this isn't what the clan wants for you. If you disobey direct orders as serious as this, we will have to take drastic measures."

"Do whatever you like to me, but do not harm her. I'm not going to let you or this clan ruin my first real chance at happiness" he said with anger visible on his face

"This is the last time I'm going to warm you to rethink your decision. Do what I say, or you will be disowned. You will no longer carry the Hyuga name." he threatened

"I don't care what you do. I will pack my bags and move out if that's what you want!" he said daring him to do his worst

"Don't you dare speak to me like that. You will treat me with respect!" he said then activated his curse seal

"AAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGHHH!" Neji yelled as he held his forehead, "I'LL K-KILL Y-YOU!"

He released the seal and walked away, "You better be gone by tomorrow." he said calmly

Neji sat in pain for well over ten minutes. After the pain subsided, he went to his room to pack up his belongings. When he was about halfway finished, he realized he didn't have anywhere to go. He quickly thought about living with Tenten, but he thought that that was a bit too far. He needed someone to stay with. He didn't know who would take him in. He wasn't the best person to live with. After an hour passed, he went to his uncle's room and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Hiashi said

Neji slowly opened the door and walked in, "Uncle, I promise I will leave, but I will need more than a day to do it. I need to find an apartment and that will take at least a week. Give me two weeks and I promise you will never see me again." he bargained

"Ok, but two weeks is all the time you get. Now leave my room."

He bowed to him and walked outside the complex, "How did I get myself into such a mess?" he asked himself

Just then he heard someone's voice, "Neji! Neji!"

He saw Tenten running to him. Immediately, he ran closer to her until they met, "What are you doing here?" he asked

"I came home and you weren't there, so I asked my grandmother where you were and she said you were here. I said why and she told me everything you said.", she hugged him,"Don't disobey your clan for me. I know we love each other, but I don't want you getting in trouble because of me."

"Tenten, I will be fine. I already told him I chose you." he said and kissed her

"So you're not in trouble?" she asked hopefully

"I am, but we will worry about that later. I promised you a date tonight."

"Neji, what did they do to you? Did they hurt you?" she said fighting back tears

"Don't cry. I'm ok." he said kissing her

"What did they do to you?" she demanded

"If I tell you, you will promise not to blame yourself. This was mt decision, I knew the consequences going in to it."

"I won't blame myself, just tell me what they did to you." she said through her tears

"I told my uncle I wanted you; he got mad and activated my curse seal-" he was cut off by Tenten falling to her knees

She looked to the floor, "Neji ... why? Why did you do that. He could have killed you."

"I love you Tenten. I wanted him to know that too. I was prepared to go through whatever pain he caused so I could be with you. Do you want to here the rest?"

She nodded, "I want to know what kind of pain I caused you."

"I told you not to blame yourself. I wanted to do this. Anyway, after I stopped screaming, he told me that I was not worthy of being a Hyuga any longer, so he disowned me."

She got back up to her feet still crying with all of her might, "Neji! Don't say that! I can't hear that! He disowned you?" she said in shock. She hugged him; his life was falling apart, and her heart was breaking. She knew she was the cause of all of his misfortune.

"Yes, but it's ok. I still have you.", he said and wiped her tears away, "I need to tell you one more thing.", she looked at him thinking that there couldn't be more, "I have two weeks to find an apartment; do you want to help me look?"

"You were kicked out too?" she asked shocked, "Come live with me. I want to help you."

"I don't want to be a burden. How am I going to fit all of my stuff in your house. My bed is big enough for two or more people and my piano will be a problem as well."

"We can work it out. Neji, I want to do this. This isn't about our relationship; I want to help you because you helped me." she said drying up her tears.

He pulled her closer to him, "I don't want to argue. Let me take you out to dinner and we will go to your house to finish the date." he wispered in her ear

Her face warmed up, "Neji, I'm not dressed to go out. We can have our date another night."

"I am not dressed either; I will get dressed and wait for you to do the same. When I am finished, I will go to your house. I have been waiting four years to go on a date with you; I am not letting anything get in the way of something like this." he said then kissed her

She hugged him, "Thank you Neji. I love you'. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and went to her house to get ready.

Neji went to his room and fetched the only nice outfit he had; one that wasn't covered in stains. He wasn't taking her anywhere fancy, but he didn't want to take her somewhere that was dirt cheap. He decided on the Korean BBQ restaurant Choji likes so much. Neji had never heard any complaints about the restaurant and he had been there a handful of times; he thought it would be the perfect place for their first date.

After he got dressed, he combed his hair and headed to Tenten's house. He went to her door, "Tenten are you almost done?"

"Yeah, you can come in if you want." she said through the door

He walked in and smiled when he saw his girlgriend. He sat next to her, "Do you just have to finish your hair?"

"Yeah. Thanks for waiting." she said as she shoved a pin in to her hair.

"No problem, I don't mind waiting if I get to see you dressed up a little." he said and put his arm around her waist.

She blushed, "Stop it. It's not like I'm Cinderella. I still look the same."

"Not true, you look completely different. You look amazing" he said as she finished her hair.

"Let's go." she replied and took him outside.

They walked hand-in-hand to the restaurant receiving confused looks from the villagers they passed. They finally arrived and sat down at a table set for two.

"Neji, can I ask you something?" she said a moment after she sat down

"What is it Tenten?"

"Why don't you get along with Sasuke?"

"It's simple, I am jealous. Since he was little, he had all of the attention. We both come from distinguished clans, but he always got special treatment while I had to work hard to receive any praise. He always gets what he wants. He has the ability to have hundreds of friends. He can get any girl he wants-"

"What? Is Neji Hyuga getting jealous because he wanted a girlfriend?"

"I am human Tenten. I am also a male; it is only natural to have an attraction to the oppisite sex."

"But still, you? Who was your first crush?"

"You"

"Did you ever like anyone else?"

"Yes, I liked Sakura"

"Really? When?"

"When I was ten. It was a small crush. Nothing to get worked up about."

"Sasuke got her when you liked her didn't he?"

"Yes he did. He always knows who I like, so he tries to steal them from me. He didn't love you, he just wanted to get under my skin." he said bitterly

"Ok, let's change the topic. When are you going to play that piano for me?"

"When I get settled in my new house. I was going to play for you sooner, but some things came up."

"Neji, I'm sorry that you got kicked out. I didn't know that me dating you would make your life so bad. I never would have-"

"Don't ever say that again. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You have done nothing wrong." he interrupted

"Sorry." she said with a hint of fear in her voice

"I shouldn't have snapped at you like that, I am the one who should apoligize. I just don't want you to think that my misfortunes are because of you." he said holding her hands

"You're the best boyfriend ever." she said and kissed him

He smiled and their food arrived. They started eating, making small talk between bites. When they were finished, Neji paid the bill and took her home. They went up to her room and laid next to each other on her bed. Tenten had her back to Neji, but he had his arm wrapped around her waist.

"What do you want to do now?" he asked

"I want to play a game."

"What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know. Do you want to do the cherry stem thing. First person to tie a knot with their tongue wins."

"That seems a little childish, but whatever you want. You have to get up and get them though."

"I don't want to get up." she wined

"I guess we're not playing then."

"Fine", she said then went to the kitchen to pick the stems off of some cherries. She came back and gave him one, "Ready, set, go!"

They popped the stems in their mouths and got to work. Tenten couldn't help but giggle at Neji's determination to win. She loved looking at the faces he made when he tried to tie the stem. She was almost finished with her's but she was having a little trouble at the end. Before she could solve her problem, Neji pulled out his knotted stem and put it in front of her face.

"I won." he said plainly

"No fair. You cheated somehow."

He scooted closer to her, "I won Tenten. What is my prize?" he whispered in her ear. His breath made her shiver with excitement.

She turned her head and crashed her lips on his. He let his tongue grace her bottom lip, begging to enter. She granted him what he wanted and opened her mouth. They battled for dominance and Neji was finally the victor. She slid her hands up to the back of his head to deepen the kiss. He replied by moving her over so she was sitting on his lap. She broke the kiss from her need of air, but he kept going. He trailed soft kissed up and down her neck. She let out a soft moan that he just loved. He went back to her lips to give her a final kiss, then backed away.

"I love you Neji."

"I know." he replied and stood up, "I need to head home now."

"Don't leave. Stay here a little longer."

"I can't. I'm sorry." he said then opened the door, "I'll see you tomorrow."

He closed the door behind him and went to his house. He always hated saying goodbye to her. It was always the worst part of his day. He dreaded having to come back home. There was nothing for him at his house; no love, no kindness, nothing. He hated this place. He was going to move out as fast as he could.

**A/N: I know this is late. I just haven't felt like writing that much lately. I won't have much time to write in a week or so. I'm going to have to start my summer assignments. Hope you guys liked the chapter. I enjoyed it myself.**


	11. Chapter 11

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter Eleven: Tomomi Has Something to Say

The next morning, Tenten woke up, got ready, and went to her kitchen to fix herself a bite to eat. She couldn't help but remember Neji's situation and began brainstorming ideas, 'He could always live with me, but he will never agree to it. I wonder if Naruto would let him stay at his house. Neji wouldn't stay there anyway. Who else can stand Neji? Can I persuade Sasuke to take him in? No, that would result in the destruction of the village. Those two will never get along. Why is it so impossible for Neji to live with someone else? He's not that bad, but he is impossible to persuade.'

Her thoughts came to a halt when she heard her grandmother's voice, "Tennie, where are you?"

"In the kitchen grandmother."

"Can you bring me my purse? "

"Sure", she picked up her grandmother's purse and handed it to her, "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yes dear, I need to speak with someone."

"Do you need me to help you there?"

"No, I think I can manage." she said with a reassuring smile

"Ok, if you get hurt call me."

"I'll be fine sweety." she said then rolled her wheelchair out the door. She kept going until she reached her destination. The building was magnificent to her, she had never seen something so huge. She shook her thoughts away and rolled inside. Immediately, she saw the person she wanted to talk to.

"May I ask what you are doing here? I have never seen you around."

"Sorry, my name is Tomomi. I wish to speak to you about you nephew, Neji." she said to none other than Hiashi Hyuga

"He is not my nephew; he lost that title when he made to many mistakes. Why do you ask about him?"

"You seem like a very strict man. Why is that?"

"I do not need to answer such a question. Who do you think you are talking down to me like that?"

"I'm just a curious old lady I guess. When did he say he was moving out?"

"How do you know about that? I haven't told you anything about that."

"You didn't answer my question."

He glared at her, "Get out of my home"

"I haven't done anything wrong. Surely you wouldn't throw out an old lady. You are much to kind for that."

"Tell me who you are."

"I told you, I am Tomomi."

"You know that's not what I mean. How do you know about Neji?"

"Why would I tell you? I want to know if there is any way he can stay here."

"He has disobeyed me time after time. I will not deal with him any longer. He will be out of this house as soon as possible."

"That is not fair. You would throw a boy out on the streets because he didn't obey you a few times? That is a human being, not an animal; more importantly that is your brother's child. What would he say to you if he was still here?"

"How do you know about Hizashi?" he demanded

"You don't need to know that right now. You need to listen to me, and listen well. There is no reason he should be thrown out because he won't marry the person you want him to. The boy has a right to who he does and does not love. You, nor anyone else can make him love someone he cannot. I don't know everything about you, but I know that you are hurting blame yourself for your brother's death. You live with that every day of your life. Guess what, Neji has a similar problem. He has to live by himself waiting for you people to kill him. He cannot trust anyone because of what happened that day."

"You don't understand. I have tried to reach out to him. All he did was push me away, so I eventually gave up. He has always acted cold and distant to me. I learned to live with it. Now he receives punishments for his actions. All children need direction, he is impossible to direct. He doesn't need anyone ... especially me."

"I know it's hard sometimes, but you have to love your family. Your brother entrusted his son to you. Neji needed love, and you never gave it to him-"

"How dare you say that! I love that child. He is the only thing I have left of my brother." he snapped

"He doesn't know you love him. Have you ever seen him smile?"

He looked away, "I saw him smile every time his father came home from a mission. He would go to him as fast as he could. Ever since Hizashi died, I haven't seen any emotion leave him."

"I have seen him smile, laugh, and get angry."

"How?"

"I am his girlfriend's grandmother."

"So you have seen him laugh? What made him do that?"

"My granddaughter did it. I don't know what she did, but I heard him laugh."

"Who is your granddaughter? I need to know."

"His former teammate, Tenten. He has been coming to my house for years. She was the only person he trusted back then."

He was silent for a while the spoke up, "I will let him stay here and continue seeing Tenten. All I want is for him to be happy. I won't punish him so harshly next time."

"Thank you. If you told him what you told me, you two would get along much better."

"There's no need for him to tell me", Neji said walking down the stairs

"Neji? Did you hear everything?" Hiashi asked

"Yes I did. I saw Tomomi through my bedroom window and wanted to know what she was doing here."

Hiashi walked closer to Neji, "I didn't know how much happiness that girl brought to you. I apologize for acting so harshly toward you."

He didn't know what cme over him, but Neji flung his arms forward and hugged his uncle for the first time, "Did you mean it ... when you said you loved me". He had waited for almost 17 years to receive any form of compassion or love from his uncle. He was never knew he was suffering the same amount he was.

"Of course. I am sorry that I never told you that."

"I only needed to hear it once." he said then pulled away from the hug

After an hour of convincing the elders to let Neji marry whomever he liked, they finally gave in. Neji couldn't wait, he had to tell Tenten. He ran to her house, went to her room, and kissed her.

"Neji, what's wrong with you. You scared me half to death."

"We can be together without any interfearance from my clan. I get to stay at my house. And you won't believe what happened before that."

"Calm down. I've never seen you so excited. What happened before that?"

"Your grandmother got my uncle to say that he loves me."

"What? Since when does he care about you? He's hated you all your life."

"I don't know, but he finally said it. I have to thank your grandmother for all she has done for me."

She smiled at how happy he looked. She had never seen him like this before. It made her so happy to see his life take a turn for the better for once.

**A/N: This chapter was so sweet. I loved writing this one. Next chapter will take place a year after. I think I'll make it a sad chapter ... wow this story is never happy. Oh well, happy is boring.**


	12. Chapter 12

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter Twelve: Will Neji Propose

**A/N: If you didn't read what I wrote on the last chapter, here it is again: this chapter takes place a year later.**

Sakura rushed to her best friend, "Tenten! I have something to tell you!"

When she finally caught up to her she replied, "What is so important that you have to drop everything and run to me?"

"You won't believe what Ino and I just saw."

"What? Nothing is that important."

"Yes it is. We saw someone on his way home with ..."

"With what. Neji doesn't do presents."

"I didn't say it was Neji ... but it was, and he had something that would blow your mind."

"Why do I need to know what he got? It's none of my business."

"It will be. It was a ring!" she squealed with joy

Tenten's eyes widened, "What? Neji is going to propose?"

"It's been a year, this is no surprise."

Tenten smiled from ear to ear, "I wonder what he'll do."

"Knowing him, it will be something to remember."

"I can't believe this is happening. I'm going to get married!" she said unable to contain her excitement

"I know, this is fantastic. I always knew you two would get married. You make such a good couple."

She sighed, "He is the best."

"Not better than Sasuke. That reminds me, do you want to go on a double date tonight?"

"Sure. I'll have to see if Neji's ok with it."

"Sounds like a plan", then her phone buzzed, "Dang it. I have to go back to work. See ya later"

"Bye" she said to her as she ran back to the hospital, "I'd better get home. I need to see how grandmother is doing."

She walked back to her house thinking about all the ways he could propose to her. When she finally reached her house, she opened the front door to see Neji sitting in the living room. She couldn't help but be curious. He usually told her when he was coming over.

"What are you doing here Neji?"

"I just wanted to help your grandmother."

"Oh, ok. Sakura wants to know if you want to go on a double date with her and Sasuke."

"Hmmm, I don't know."

"Come on Neji. It will be fun. I know you don't get along with him, but I think it will be good for you."

"Ok, I'll go, but if he says something about you I am leaving."

"Yay! Thank you Neji!" she said and hugged him

She sat next to him and laid her head on his shoulder, "Do you want to go train? I'm bored."

"Sure, let's go." he said then got up from his seat

"You're eager to leave."

"You asked me if I wanted to go somewhere. I'm going."

"Ok, ok, sorry."

They walked to the training grounds and started throwing punches, kicks, and weapons. Eventually, Neji came out a winner while Tenten suffered minor injuries. He looked at her wounds  
then looked away. He never liked training with her, because that would mean hurting her. Every time he saw a wound on her skin, he couldn't help but look away.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You have to tell me if something is bothering you."

"Not necessarily."

"Will you please tell me."

"You're hurt."

"I'm fine. We always train, it's nothing new."

"I just don't want to cause you pain, that's all."

"It's ok ... I have to ask you something."

"What is it?" he said sitting under a tree

"Do you think you will ever ... marry anyone?"

"I'm not sure. I would love to have a wife one day, but I don't think that anyone would want to fill that position. Eventually, you will leave me ... but hopefully not soon."

She hugged him, "I will never leave you! Don't talk like that."

He smiled, "How do you deal with me?"

"I love you. Sure you can be impossible at times, but you are still the best man I have ever met."

"Have you ever dated anyone else?"

"Sasuke, for a day. Other than that, no."

"Then you have no one to compare me to."

"I don't want anyone else. I know you're the best."

"I am the best aren't I?'" he said with a smug grin

She giggled, "Don't raise yourself too high Hyuga."

He kissed her, "I'll never be as great as you."

She blushed, "I love you."

"I love you too."

"I haven't heard you say that in a while."

"It wouldn't mean anything if I told you all the time."

"I guess you're right."

They sat next to each other in a comfortable silence until Neji got up, "I need to get home and get ready for our date. I'll walk you home if you want me to."

"I'm fine, but thanks for offering." she said as she got up

They walked together until they had to go their separate ways. Neji said goodbye and she kissed him. He walked home thinking how lucky he was to have someone like her. When he reached his room, he opened the door and walked straight to his piano. He got out an old piece of sheet music, laid it to where he could see it, and started playing. He played "The Last Rose of Summer" by Von Flowtow. This was his father's favorite song, he would only play it when he felt like nothing could bring him down.


	13. Chapter 13

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter Thirteen: The Double Date

After Neji finished playing, he reached in his closet to fetch a nice looking outfit. He didn't think the occasion called for a suit, so he got something a little less dressy. After he had gotten ready, he went to his bed where he placed the ring. 'Will she even like it? I don't know what I'm doing. This cannot end well.' he thought. He pushed all of his thoughts out of his mind and went outside. He took his time walking to Tenten's house, scared of what she might look like. He knew she would be beautiful, but he didn't want her to. Her beauty would only make him even more nervous. When he finally reached her house, he knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"Just a second. I'm almost done." he heard his girlfriend say.

Meanwhile, he was fiddling with the small box inside his pocket, 'Why does this have to be so difficult?' he asked himself.

He didn't have time to come up with an answer. Tenten had opened the door, "You look so handsome Neji."

He stood there staring at her, "You look amazing." was all he could say. She wore a knee-length, strapless, green dress that was simple yet beautiful.

"Let's go. Sakura is waiting for us." she said as she grabbed his wrist and ran toward the restaurant.

They finally reached their destination and met up with the other couple. Tenten made sure that Neji and Sasuke were separated and took a seat herself. Sakura gave her look that said 'Did he ask you yet'. Tenten just looked away, blushing.

"So, Sasuke, aren't you getting promoted to Jonin this week?" Tenten asked

"Yeah, it took a while, but I finally got there. Sakura helps me train everyday." he replied

"Yep, we've been training nonstop. He really deserves the promotion." Sakura said backing up her boyfriend

"What else is going on with you two?" Tenten asked

"Well, next week Sasuke and I are going to have dinner with my parents so I can introduce them."

"Oh, I remember when I first met Neji's family. That was tough. It's like they wanted to hate me."

Neji spoke up, "I don't want to talk about that. They don't need to hear it."

"Fine grouch. What's up with you?" Tenten said

"Nothing, I just don't want to talk about it."

An akward silence arose, but was finally broken when the waiter came with their food. After they had eaten and talked for a while, they left. Tenten stopped Neji outside the restaurant.

"You were really rude in there you know."

"That's not what I would call it. I was just expressing my opinion."

"You glared at Sasuke the whole time, you destroyed half of our conversations, and you made Sakura want to leave. You are so selfish sometimes."

"I only went on this stupid date because you wanted to. This might be news to you, but I don't like sharing personal stories. I don't want everyone to know what I did in what I thought was my private time with my girlfriend."

"Why didn't you tell me you didn't want to go? I wouldn't care if we went on a date or not tonight. If I knew this was going to happen, I would have gladly stayed home."

"Tenten, I don't want to fight with you."

"Why because we're out in public?"

"Yes, I don't want to ruin other peoples' night. Let's go home."

"Oh, now I'm embarrassing you? Sorry Neji, I will try not to make you look bad next time."

"Tenten, just let me walk you home. You're making a big deal out of nothing."

"Leave me alone. You're not even listening to me." she said then stormed off

He sighed and ran to her, "Tenten, I'm sorry ok."

"You ruined my night. Just leave me alone."

"No, I'm not leaving until you calm down."

"I'm calm, now leave."

He picked her up bridle style and looked her in the eyes, "I'm sorry I messed up this date. You are right, I am selfish, but I don't want to fight with you"

She looked at him gathering her thoughts, "Fine, I forgive you. I'm sorry for overreacting."

They walked in silence until they reached her house.

"Can I come in? I have something to tell you." Neji asked

"Sure." she said then led him to her room

He let her sit on his lap while he spoke, "What can I do to make this up to you. I acted like a child, and it ruined what could have been a great night."

"You can spend the night here. I want that to be our last fight."

"I will try not to be so selfish when we are married."

"What?" she asked in surprise with a blush across her face, "You're actually thinking about marrige?"

"Yes I have. For the last month, that is all I could think about."

"Neji I-"

"Let me speak. I need to do this right," he said then got down on one knee, held out the small box from his pocket, and continued, "I wasn't planning on this night being a disaster, but I was planning on asking you something after our date. This might not be the perfect time, but I want you to know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I can't promise we won't have another fight, but I can promise that if we do, I will never leave you. You have been by my side since we were children and I want to be by your's until I die ... even beyond then. I'm not the most romantic guy out there, but I do love you and I will prove that to you anytime you need me to. I have been struggling to say this for weeks now. Tenten, will you marry me?"

She started crying and hugged him with all she had, "Yes! I can't think of anything I would want more than be your wife."

He wiped her tears away with his thumb, slid the ring on her finger, and kissed her, "I love you so much Tenten."

"I love you too Neji. Have you talked to Hiashi about this?"

"Yes, he said he would love for you to be part of our family."

"I can't believe we're going to get married! This is a dream come true."

"It really is." he said then kissed her again

**A/N: Thanks for reading. This chapter took me forever to right. It feels kind of rushed to me, but overall it's pretty good. Tell me what you think. Next chapter will be short.**


	14. Chapter 14

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter Fourteen: After the Proposal

The next day, Neji woke up with Tenten in his arms. He smiled at the thought of having her like this for the rest of his life. It was something that he had wanted for a while; something that would bring him complete happiness. He felt her wake up and tightened his grip around her. She smiled at this and turned around to look at him.

"So this is how you look in the morning? Still perfect." she said and kissed him

"I wouldn't say that." he replied then pulled her closer to him, "What do you want to do today?"

"I want to go to Sakura and apologize for last night. Don't worry, I won't mention you."

"I was the cause of it, so I'll go with you."

"Neji Hyuga apologizing? What has this world come to?" she said smiling

"Shut up. What if I want to be nice? Is that so hard to believe."

"It is when it includes Sasuke. Can you two work out your problems before we get married? I don't want my husband to have any enemies."

"I will try. We need to get up and get ready." he said as he rolled off the bed

"You have to go back to your house don't you?"

"Yeah, my stuff is there. We need to talk about living arrangements sometime this week."

"Ok. We'll go to your house to talk. It's always so relaxing there."

"I'll meet up with you outside my house. Bye." he said and left

After they had both gotten ready, they met outside the Hyuga compound and walked to the hospital. They looked for Sakura and found her in the break room. Tenten knocked then waved through the glass. Sakura jumped out of her seat and ran out the door to meet up with her friends.

"Hey Tenten! What are you doing here?" she asked excitedly

"Well, Neji and I came to apologize for last night."

"She does not need to apologize, I am the one who needs to. So, Sakura, I am sorry. I don't know where Sasuke is, but tell him I am sorry. I acted like a child last night." Neji explained

"Wow, I got an apology from Neji? What did Tenten do to you? Sorry, just joking. Thank you for coming here to apologize."

Tenten brought Neji down to where she could whisper into his ear, "Can I tell her. I want your permission."

Neji nodded and Tenten smiled, "Thank you Neji", she said then let him go, "Sakura, guess what happened last night."

"You two got into a fight. I knew that. Everyone's talking about it." sakura said

"No, after that. He proposed! It was perfect!" she said holding Neji's hand

"Congratulations!"

"Thank you. He is going to be the best husband, I already know it."

"We better get going. Sakura needs to finish her lunch. Thank you for your time Sakura." Neji said pulling Tenten away

When they got outside, Neji started up a conversation, "What do you want to do now?"

"I want to talk to Lee. We need to tell him."

"Are you sure? You know what he'll do don't you? He will go on this big rant on our being youthful and hug us until every bone in our bodies are broken."

"It will be fun. I want him to know."

"Ok, whatever you want." he said as they started walking toward the training grounds

When they arrived, they immediately saw Lee and his Genin team in the middle of a training session. They waited until it was over and walked up to the team. When Lee saw them, he jumped in the air with excitement. He quickly took his former teammates into his arms and hugged them until they had trouble breathing.

"Neji, Tenten, what brings you two here?" Lee said loudly

"Sensei, who are these people?" a member of Lee's team asked

"These two are my former teammates. They are extremely strong. They were actually able to beat me when we were kids."

"Cooool. Can we see you guys fight?" another member of the team asked

"If they are ok with it. Neji? Tenten?"

"Let's go!" Tenten said while Neji was already in a fighting stance

**(A/N: If you haven't noticed by now, I'm not big on writing out battles... mostly because I can't).** They started their spar which drug out for about an hour. The kids were thoroughly entertained by the battle. They even set bets for who they thought would win. In the end, Neji won just like the old days.

"How did Sensei lose?" they all cried out

Lee went over to them, "Neji is very powerful, but I will defeat him one day. He comes from a special clan. Have you all ever heard of the Hyuga clan?" they all shook their heads, "Well, that clan possesses a special type of jutsu, the Byakugan. They can see your chakra points when they activate it. This makes their attacks very powerful. If Neji wanted to, he could block off all of your chakra points to where you could not use jutsu."

"Wow, can we train with him sometime?" they all said

Lee smiled, "I wouldn't mind. You have to ask Neji. Tenten could help you guys too. If you ever have trouble with ninja tools, she's the person to go to."

The children ran over to Neji and Tenten, "We wanna train with you! We wanna train with you!"

They both smiled and Tenten spoke for the both of them, "We would love to. We'll be here tomorrow if you guys want to come, but you guys have to get up a little early. Neji here loves training at about four 'o clock. Are you guys ok with that?"

"Yeeeeaaaahhh!" they all said

"Can you teach us how to beat Sensei?" one child asked

"We'll try." Neji said

While Neji was talking to the kids, Tenten walked over to Lee, "I have something to tell you" she said with a grin on her face

"What is it?"

She held up her hand so he could see her ring, "Neji proposed"

"Tenten that is great! I knew you two would eventually get married! How youthful!" he yelled

She looked back over to Neji, "He's going to be a great father."

"I hate to admit it, but you're right. My team loves him."

Neji caught her looking at him and a smile spread across his face, "He smiled?" Lee asked

"Yep, he's finally happy." Tenten replied with a smile

**A/N: I'll end it with that. I love how this tory is turning out. I think I will drag it out for at least ten more chapters.**


	15. Chapter 15

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter Fifteen: Tenten Hyuga

**A/N: This chapter takes place about a year and a half later. Neji and Tenten have been married for about two weeks. Sorry for the late update.**

It was a perfect day for Tenten. She slept in, woke up to a beautiful day, and most importantly, woke up to her husband. She got butterflies every time she reminded herself that Neji and her had actually gotten married. She had wanted it for so long, and now that it had happened, she could not get used to sharing such a relationship with her former teammate. After the butterflies left, she got up to get ready. Neji was nowhere in sight. She decided he was just outside training as usual and brushed the thought out of her head. She jumped in the shower to start her morning routine. After the shower, she got dressed, brushed her hair and teeth, and went outside to find Neji. As she suspected, he was finishing up his training. He walked over to her to give her a kiss, but she backed away.

"What's wrong?" he asked

"I just got out of the shower and you are sweaty."

"Really, that is your reason?"

She replied with a simple smirk, "Ok, I'll go take a shower. But I will get my kiss when I get out" Neji said as he walked back in the house.

As he walked through the hallway, he came across a picture of himself from two weeks ago. He was in a suit while Tenten stood next to him in a white dress. The longer he looked at the scene, the happier he became. The events of that night flooded back to hiss memory as if it had all happened mere minutes ago. He remembered he was a nervous wreck the moment he woke up that morning. He knew that this was it; he was finally going to marry the love of his life.

Getting ready was a total disaster. He was shaking, his heart was racing, and he had to manage all of the thoughts running through his head. The one thought that kept eating at him was that Tenten could change her mind and walk out on him. Another thought was that he would make a complete fool of himself in some way or another. His mind only focused on the negatives; that is until he saw her. The moment he saw her in her wedding dress, his mind went blank. The only thing he could think about was how beautiful she was. When she finally reached him, which seemed like eternity, a smile spread across his face, a smile only she received.

His thoughts were put to an end when he heard his wife enter the house. She spotted him and gave him a smile. "What are you doing" she asked.

"You know what I'm doing. I'm thinking about you." he replied

"Awww, how cute," she said half serious. She looked up at the picture, "That was the happiest day of my life. It can only get better from here."

He looked at her and held her hand, "That is the best thing I have ever heard you say."

"Neji, I love you. Now go take a shower so I can kiss you."

He smiled at her remark then headed toward the bathroom to wash up. When he was finished, he went to Tenten and wrapped his arm around her. She immediately turned around to kiss him. In a short time their kiss had escalated to making out. They loved to be in each other's embrace. They felt safe when they were together. It was when they showed their love that they truly felt like one. Tenten had dreamed about this moment shortly after she met Neji. She loved him to no end. Neji never knew he would ever find someone that was as perfect as Tenten was. She changed him in so many ways, and he loved every change. They made each other perfect.

"Neji?"

"What is it?"

"Thank you for loving me"

He smiled and planted a final kiss on her lips, "No, thank you for loving me."

**A/N: I know this is a short chapter, but I think it is a sweet way to wrap up the marriage. I promise the next chapter will be up soon. **


	16. Chapter 16

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter 16: Family

Ever since she had married Neji, Tenten had wanted to start a family with him. She loved him with all of her heart and wanted to show that to him. She knew it was way to early to even think about a baby, but she couldn't help herself. They were both ninja, so they could be gone in minutes. She wanted to have a child before either of them died. It seemed as though everyone around her was expecting a child. Sakura and Sasuke were expecting a boy. Ino and Sai had just gotten pregnant, and believe it or not, Hinata found out she was pregnant a week ago. She hated thinking about it. She knew Neji would never want to have a child so early in the marriage. Just as she thought about him, he came into the room and smiled at her.

"Good morning Tenten."

"Yep. What are you going to do today?" she asked still laying in bed

"I was going to have breakfast with my uncle and Hinata. After that I need to go on a mission."

"So I'm going to be alone?" she groaned

"I'm sorry, I wish I could stay." he said while getting ready

"How long is the mission?"

"Three days."

She turned over and moaned into her pillow, "I hate you."

He sat next to her, "What's going on Tenten? You're usually not this upset when I have to leave."

"It's nothing. I'm just tired."

"That's not it. Something is bothering you."

She turned to look at him, "It's just that I get lonely when you're away."

"You can go on missions. You don't always have to stay at the house."

"I guess you're right." she replied then turned around

He looked at her to try and figure out what was troubling his wife. He had never seen her this upset, and he didn't know what caused it. She always told him everything, so why stop now. He knew whatever it was, she didn't want him to know about it. Maybe she had seen another man behind his back and she is just now realizing she made a bad decision. Maybe she is simply sick. Whatever he reason, he is going to dedicate himself to her.

He got off the bed and went downstairs. He pulled out his phone and called Hiashi, "Hello" he heard his uncle say

"Uncle, I am not going to make it. I have some personal issues to work out this morning."

"I understand. You will have to apologize to Hinata later, she was looking forward to seeing you."

"I will and I promise I will make up for it. Bye."

"Bye"

He hang up and sighed. He didn't want another thing on his mind. He never got to see his family. This meal would be the first time in nearly three weeks. He pushed the thought out of his mind and went up to Tenten. She saw him and smiled.

"Why are you back up here? I thought you had to go to breakfast."

"I canceled." he said simply

"What? Why? You were looking forward to it so much."

"I want to be with you. You're not feeling well and I want to know why."

"Don't worry about me. I want you to spend time with your family."

"Tenten, whats wrong. I'm not leaving until you tell me."

She smirked at his comment. He was always straightforward. "Lay down."

He did what he was told and held her hand, "I don't like seeing you like this. Tell me one thing, is it about me; am I making you sad?"

She looked away, "You make up half of it."

"Look at me."

She obeyed and paused for a while until she said something, "Neji, do you ever think about how easily we could die?"

"It has crossed my mind more than once. Why do you ask?" he said putting his hand up to her face

"I want a child. I don't want to die before I have the chance of becoming a mother." she said a little rushed

He kissed her, "Tenten, this is a huge step. We haven't been married long at all. Do you really want a child?"

"I know it's not the right time, but I ..." she cut herself off not being able to think of a reason for a baby.

He brought her closer to himself, "To tell you the truth, I don't want a child right now. I think it would just create more stress. I love you, but we need to wait."

"But you could die on your next mission. What am I going to do then?" she said on the verge of tears

"I won't die. You are being foolish. Just lay with me until I have to leave." he said as he wrapped his arms around her

She sighed and closed her eyes, 'I want a child. I'm tiered of having to agree with him about everything. I only do it because I love him, but that's the whole reason I want to start a family with  
him'

He kissed her, "I love you."

"I love you to."


	17. Chapter 17

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter 17: The Kiss

Neji had just left for his mission, and the only thing he could think of is what Tenten told him. How could he be a father? He didn't know the first thing about raising a child. He didn't want to tell her no. He wanted to start a family as well; what he didn't want is for his child to be his. He didn't want him to be born in to his family. He knew they were going to put the same mark on his child as they had on him. It killed him thinking about it. There were too many things that could go wrong with the child: he could raise him to be antisocial, he could have no friends, he would have to serve the main branch, or he could be exactly like his father. That was the one thing he did not want. It was a combination of all three things he had listed. The name Neji Hyuga was not on many people's minds when he was a kid. The only time it was brought up is when he had gotten in trouble. Neji couldn't even begin to think of how his child would come out. One thing was for sure, he didn't want him to be a "Neji Hyuga".

Meanwhile, Tenten had just woken up. She didn't have any missions, so she was free to do whatever she liked. The thought of the baby crawled back into her mind, but she fought it knowing it would never happen. She sighed and began her morning routine. When she had finished, she called Sakura to see if she would make her day more exciting.

"Hello", Tenten heard on the other end

"Hey, Sakura! Are you doing anything today?"

"Nah, just sitting at home waiting for Sasuke to come back from his mission."

"When is he coming back?"

"Tonight. We were planning on eating out when he comes back. Do you mind helping me get ready. It's hard to do anything with this huge stomach."

"Sure I'll be there. Just call me when you need me."

"Cool. Why did you call anyway? You usually keep to yourself."

"Well, Neji's out on a mission and I cannot do anything here. The man keeps this place fun free."

Sakura giggled, "How do you live without entertainment? Come over and we'll watch some TV or something."

"Thank you Sakura. Do you need anything before I come over?"

"Duh, snacks: pickles, ice cream, black olives, and cheese."

"Jeez Sakura, your cravings are weird."

"Just bring them."

"Ok, bye."

"Bye."

Tenten smiled at Sakura's strange list of food. She figured Neji would be mad if he came back and there was a large amount of food missing, so she decided to go to the store. She went to the closest one she could find and picked up the items she needed. She quickly went through the checkout lane and headed to Sakura's house. When she arrived, she knocked on the door. She heard Sakura get up and open the door.

"Hey, I got your food. Where do you want it?"

"Just put it on that table."

Tenten walked to the table, set the food down, and sat on the couch in the living room, "What are we watching."

"Whatever you want to watch. I've just been flipping through channels."

She picked up the remote and began searching for something interesting. When she found it, she put down the remote and started watching. About halfway through the show, Sakura spoke up.

"So, did you tell Neji you wanted a kid?"

"Yeah, but he didn't react the way I wanted him to. He acted like It was the simplest question in the world. He told me no and a little while later he left for a mission."

"What!? How dare he treat you like that? After all you've done for him, he better give you a baby!" Sakura shouted

"Sakura I don't necessarily want a baby as much as I want a family."

"That's the same thing."

"A baby is just a young person. A family is a group of people that love each other. I want Neji to be the father of my child, but he sees it as simply having a baby."

"I'm sure he's not that dull about the subject."

"Really? We're talking about the same guy who used to beat up his cousin, never wanted anyone to date him, and takes cold showers. Who takes cold showers?"

"I guess he is a little strange."

"Can't he see how much I love him? I want to show him that. If we have a child, he will know how much I love him."

"You're talking about doing the nasty."

"Well, yeah, but I don't want to blurt it out."

"You do realize this is Neji we are talking about, right? He will never do that."

"You're right. I bet that is the whole reason he doesn't want to go through with it. He makes me so mad sometimes!"

"Have you even seen his chest?"

"Once."

"He is the most self conscious person I have ever met."

"I don't think that's it. I think he is just over the top traditional."

Just then, they heard a knock on the door. Sakura got up and opened it to find Sasuke. She squealed and kissed him.

"Why are you back so early?"

"I finished my mission already. Did you really think it would take that long for me to finish one mission?'', just then Tenten caught his eye, "What is Tenten doing here?"

"Oh, she just got bored at her house, so she came over here to watch TV with me."

Tenten spoke up, "I'll leave if you want me to."

"No, you can stay. I want to catch up." Sasuke replied

"Thanks", she said then sat back on the couch, "What is there to talk about?"

He sat next to her while Sakura went upstairs, "How is it going with you and Neji? You just got married right?"

"Yeah, he is a great husband, but I'm wanting to start a family and he is not on board."

"He isn't big on that kind of thing. I tried to set him up with a girl once, and he was so rude to her. I don't know what he had against her."

"I think he thought it was a joke since you brought her to him. He really doesn't trust you."

"Yeah, but I'm starting to warm up to him. He's still a know-it-all little jerk, but he has grown up."

"I guess he has. Ok, change of topic, how is it going with you and Sakura?"

"It is going extremely well. Thanks for setting us up all those years ago."

"I knew you two were perfect for each other."

"Back then I thought you were the one."

"You really liked me back then? Neji told me you did it just to bother him."

"Do you really think I would go through all of that trouble for someone I didn't love?"

"I guess not." she said with a smile and a slight blush

"You are as beautiful now as you were then. If I could have proved myself back then, you would be with me ... not him."

"Are you saying you still have feelings for me?" she asked, her blush deepening with every second

"I still do, but I know you love Neji. I will not interfere."

"Seeing you again, and talking to you like this, after of of these years makes me realize that I was wrong about you. Right now, I'm thinking that I should have picked you over Neji." she said scooting closer to him

He saw her trying to get closer to him and wrapped his arms around her waist. Ever so slowly, they brought their heads together to where their lips were mere centimeters apart. Tenten smiled and captured his lips. She felt sparks when she kissed him, and he felt the same with her. The only problem was, they were both married. How were they going to explain this to Neji and Sakura?


	18. Chapter 18

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter 18: Tenten and Sasuke?

Tenten looked up at Sasuke. What had she just done? She looked at the man in front of her, and started questioning everything about herself. Maybe he made her feel better and she repaid him with a kiss. Maybe she realized she didn't love Neji. Maybe she had simply lost her head in all of it. Whatever the reason was, she had kissed Sasuke. What would Neji say if he found out? Would he want a divorce after only a month? How could she do this to him so early in their marriage? She felt terrible about what just happened.

"What's wrong?" she heard Sasuke whisper

She backed away, "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't have done that. I need to leave."

"Ok, you can leave, but I know you felt something in that kiss."

She just blushed and ran out the door. He was right, that kiss was amazing. The only thing she knew was that she was married, an that kiss couldn't have meant anything. She ran home and went to the only thing that gave her comfort anymore, the picture in the hall. She took their wedding photo off the wall and started crying. She didn't want Sasuke, she wants the man in this picture; the man that she loved. She couldn't stand to look at herself in the picture.

"Cheater! You're just a no good cheater! He doesn't deserve that!" she shouted at herself through tears

She couldn't think about Neji without crying. The next two and a half days were absolute torture. She had to see him. She needed to tell him what happened. She waited in the living room the day he was to return. Her heart was beating out of her chest. What would he say? Would he leave her? 'It was only a kiss' she told herself. She would let him kiss any girl he wanted to be fair. She just didn't want him to leave. She quickly pulled herself from her thoughts when she heard someone come in.

"Neji?"

"I'm finally home Tenten." Neji said as he sat next to her and kissed her

"I love you. Please don't leave me." she said as she hugged him

"You're being a little over dramatic. It was only a mission."

She looked away, "Do you want some tea? I need to tell you something, but I want you to be comfortable when I tell you."

"What is it?" he asked plainly. He knew by her tone that the news was not good.

"Before I say this, remember that I love you," she could see him getting tense; he knew what she was about to say, "Remember how I wanted a baby?"

"Yes, and I have something to tell you about that-" he got cut off by her finger

"Not now. I want to hear your final decision after I tell you my story." She breathed in a deep breath and started, "I was so bummed out that you said no, that I began to feel like you didn't love me enough to have a baby. I know that is stupid, but that's what I thought. I got lonely at the house, so I went to Sakura's. We started talking about the whole baby thing, and she told me that you were just to shy for the process of making a baby. I agreed, then we heard Sasuke come in. Sakura went upstairs to let Sasuke and I talk, but..." She started crying again. Neji held her closer to him and told her to calm down and finish the story. She continued, "I don't know what came over me, but I kissed him. Neji I'm sorry."

She looked up at her husband to see his reaction. He had none; his face was blank.

He looked away from her, "Tell me ... did that kiss mean something to you?"

She could see him holding back tears, but she had to tell him, "At the time."

"Why? Why would you do that? And with him!", there it was, the first set of tears she had ever seen from him.

"Neji, I'm sorry. It was only a kiss. It means nothing to me now."

"Were you thinking of going further?" he asked drying his eyes

"I love you, not him."

"Answer my question."

"...It did cross my mind." she said hiding her face

"So you're telling me that a month after we expressed our "love" to the world, you were wanting to have sex with another man?!"

All she could do was cry. She could not form words, that would only hurt him more.

He pushed her off of him and went up to their bedroom. He was not expecting this when he got home. He always thought that she could do no wrong; he was proved wrong in a matter of minutes. He didn't know how he would get past this. He thought about killing Sasuke, or Tenten. He loved his wife, but he couldn't love her the way he had before. He heard Tenten come up to the room. He looked back to see her with tears in her eyes. That sight killed him every time he saw it. He wanted her to be happy.

"Come here." he said and scooted over to give her room to lay down.

She accepted the invitation and hugged him, "Don't leave me. I don't love him."

He wiped the tears from her eyes, "Are you happy with me."

"Huh?"

"Do I make you happy? Do you see this marriage lasting?"

"You make me so happy. I don't know why I got so caught up in the baby thing; I just wanted to have more of a physical relationship I guess. But now I know I don't need that. All I need is you."

"You didn't answer my second question; Is this marriage going to last?"

"I hope so. I want to spend my life with you. I just hope that you want to do the same."

He kissed her, "I do, but I have lost a great deal of trust in you. You hurt me Tenten."

"Please don't say that. We can get past this. I don't want to hurt you."

He didn't reply

"What are you thinking?"

"I need to tell you what I wanted to tell you when I walked through the front door. I thought about what you said about starting a family, and I want to do that. You're right, we're not going to live forever. I want to start a family with you, the love of my life. The only reason I was hesitant was because I didn't want our child turning out like me. After you told me about you and Sasuke, I changed my mind. If you have the slightest desire to sleep with him, do it. Just know that when you get home, I will not be there. I want to be the only man you sleep with."

"Neji..." she was speechless. How could he say such beautiful things and have it end with a no? "I know I messed up, but I do not love him, I don't want to kiss him again, and I especially don't want to have sex with him."

"Tenten, we are going to have to fix this. I'm not going to forgive you the instant I hear about it. I need to know one hundred percent that you will not cheat or lie in this relationship."

"Ok, I can deal with that."

**A/N: Please leave a review if you think I should wrap up with Sasuke and Sakura.**


	19. Chapter 19

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter 19: I Will Always Love You

The next day, Neji woke up early as usual, but today he wasn't going to train. He had something better in mind. He got ready and slipped out the door before Tenten woke up. He carried a bag of food, a few books, and a board game. It wasn't everyday he got to spend time with his favorite woman. He quickly arrived at her house and knocked on the door. She opened the door then gave him a hug. Seeing him every week was what she looked forward to. He set the bag on the living room table and sat on the couch.

"How have you been Tomomi?" he asked sweetly (A/N: If you forgot, Tomomi is Tenten's grandmother.)

"You know, the same. Is Tenten doing ok? How was your mission?" she asked. She had so many questions for him since he had seen her in a week and a half.

"The mission went well, but Tenten is a wreck. A few days ago, when I was on my mission, she cheated on me with Sasuke Uchiha. It was only a kiss, but still."

"Oh, why would she do that? She isn't that kind of person. I'm so sorry. You must feel awful sweety." she said hugging him

"Yeah, it doesn't feel good. I talked to her last night about it; she apologized, but it still feels like she loves that man more than me," he paused, "I have done nothing wrong. Why does it have to be me? I give her every bit of love I have and she comes home to tell me that. I asked her if she wanted to have sex with him ... she said yes. I don't know what to do."

"Did she tell you why she kissed him?"

"She wants to have a baby, but I said no. So she went to him to get one."

"Trust me, this whole thing will blow over before you know it. That Sasuke guy has nothing on you; you two have been together your whole lives. You two love each other. I really believe in your marriage."

"Thank you, I needed to hear that." he said witha smile

Back at their house, Tenten had gotten out of bed to find Neji gone. She looked outside for him, but there was no trace of him. She started panicking, 'Where is he? I need to find him.' she kept telling herself. She grabbed the telephone and called Tomomi hoping that she would know. Neji and Tomomi's conversation was interrupted by the phone, and as soon as Neji saw the caller I. D. he put his hand on it so she wouldn't answer.

"What are you doing Neji?"

"Letting her know how it feels. Tell her I'm with Ino."

"This isn't the way to solve this."

"I know what I'm doing. This isn't just to get back at her."

"Ok, I trust you," she said then answered the phone, "Hello Tennie. How are you?"

"Fine, have you seen Neji?" replied Tenten

"I saw him walking down the street with a girl. I think her name is Ino."

"What? Where was he going?" she said almost in tears

Tomomi took the phone away from her face and covered it, "Neji, this is tearing her up. Can I tell her where you are?"

"No, just tell her I went to the hot springs." he said

She put the phone back up to her face, "I believe he was heading to the hot springs."

"No, he's cheating on me grandma. Stop him."

"Sorry dear, it is his decision."

Tenten hung up the phone.

"What happened?" Neji asked

"She hung up. Don't do this, it will hurt her so much."

"I need to do this. I also need to get to the hot springs. Bye." he said as he ran out the door

He ran as fast as he could to the flower shop. He was greeted by Ino, then he grabbed her by the hand and started running.

"What are you doing? You can't just do that to me."

"Just listen, I'm bringing you to the hot springs, we are going to strip, and go to the co-ed section."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it."

"Fine with me."

They finally reached the hot springs and did everything on Neji's list.

"Now what? Do I just sit here and look at you?" she smiled, "Because I wouldn't mind that."

He looked at her uneasily, "Do anything you want."

Her smile widened as she got closer to him, "You know what? You look kind of sexy with your shirt off."

He blushed and she ran her hand across his chest. The only thing he could think about was Tenten, 'When is she going to get here?' he kept asking himself. If he was left like this for to long, he would be tempted to kiss this girl. He knew this was taking it a little to far, but that never crossed his mind when the thought first popped in his mind. Tenten had never seen Sasuke naked, and here he was inches away from an exposed Ino. He felt bad for what he had done, but it would all work itself out in a few seconds.

"So why did you want me to come here with you." she asked wrapping her arms around him

He had to come up with a lie to keep the scene as real as possible, "The truth is, I love you. I have for a long time. Tenten was just to keep me busy until I had enough courage to ask you out." He kissed her cheek to make his lie seem real.

"Awww, really? You're so cute."

"What are you doing?" they heard a female voice shout behind them

"Tenten, what are you doing here?" Neji asked

"I could ask you the same question. Why are you doing this Neji? I thought you were better than this." Tenten replied

"He chose me. He just told me he loved me, not you now get lost." Ino said while kissing Neji

"Is that true?" Tenten said with tears in her eyes

He didn't respond.

Tenten burst in to tears and ran away. Neji couldn't let her leave crying. He ran out of the water, wrapped a towel around his waist, and went to her.

"Tenten I'm sorry."

"Why are you with her? Do you love her?"

"Calm down, I don't love her."

"You're a jerk! I hate you! You shouldn't have been with her in the first place!"

"Tenten I only did this to make you feel what I feel, betrayed. You cheated on me, now I'm doing the same."

"Yeah, but I wasn't rubbing up on Sasuke's naked chest! You crossed the line!"

"Will you stop shouting? People are starting to stare."

"Let them look! I want everyone to know you are a dirty cheater!"

"You're impossible." he said then walked away to get dressed

She walked over to him, "You are so annoying sometimes! What makes you think you can just walk away in the middle of a conversation?"

"You need to calm down. I didn't do anything to her."

"Oh, so cuddling with a naked chick and kissing her is doing nothing? Maybe I'll go do the same to Sasuke and see how you fell."

"First of all, I didn't kiss her she kissed me. Second, I admit the naked part was a little to drastic. You have to believe me when I say it means nothing."

"I don't know what to believe after what I just saw."

He kissed her then brought her in for a hug, "You are the only one I love. I would never cheat on you."

"I guess I can forgive you after what I did with Sasuke." she paused, "Why did you want to hurt me?"

"I don't know. I thought getting back at you would solve everything, but I was wrong. This relationship is the only thing I think about. I don't know why I would do something to harm it."

"We have to promise not to do this to each other. We can't keep hurting each other like this."

"I promise." he said then kissed her

"I promise never to hurt you again. I will always love you."

**A/N: Sorry for making Neji cheat. I felt that it was necessary for them to feel the same pain so they could move on. No more cheating, I swear.**


	20. Chapter 20

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter 20: Neji Did What?

After they had apologized, Neji and Tenten went to visit Tomomi. The old woman was startled when she saw them together. She never thought that what Neji had planned would work, but she was glad it did. She would do anything to see her granddaughter happy. That is why she let Neji come to see Tenten anytime he wanted when they were children. He was her best friend, then boyfriend, then husband. Tomomi knew he was special to Tenten, but never would have guessed that their friendship would grow into this.

"I left a board game in the bag Tomomi. Would you like to play?" Neji asked

"I would love to. Is Tenten joining us?" she asked

"Yeah, I'll play." Tenten said cheerfully

They began playing. While they smiled and laughed, there was one girl in the village who's day had just gotten ten times worse. Back at the hot springs, Ino was boiling with rage. How dare he just leave her there and make a fool out of her like that? She really thought he loved her. Deep down inside, she hoped he did. But when she saw him make up with Tenten, she knew what she had to do. She got out of the water, got dressed, and went to Sakura. She had to tell someone about what just happened.

"Hey Ino. What are you doing here?" Sakura asked when she opened the door to her house

"You won't believe what just happened. Neji freaking Hyuga just got laid. He took me from the flower shop, ran to the hot springs, and just had his way with me."

"You're joking. You have to be joking. Neji? He wouldn't do that."

"You should have seen that body Sakura."

She smiled and whispered, "Is he that hot?"

"I can't even describe it. But then the whole thing was ruined because Tenten came in and took him away."

"We have to tell Hinata. She won't believe it."

"What are you waiting for? Let's go."

They walked to the Hyuga compound to tell Hinata the news. They found her walking through the garden and went to her.

"Hinata, Ino has to tell you the most surprising thing you will ever hear in your life." Sakura said

"What is it?" the Hyuga asked innocently

"Neji, your cousin, just had sex with me." Ino blurted out

"What? He is married. Why would he do that?" she asked shyly

"Because he loves me." Ino shouted

"What about Tenten?" Sakura asked

"Who cares." she replied

"I do." they heard a male voice say. Hiashi walked up to the gossiping girls with a serious look, "What is this about Neji having sex?"

"He just took me from my job and did me." Ino said

"WHAT? He is married! After all I did to let him date that girl, he goes and does this!?" he said with anger running through his words

The girls stood where they were and stared at the man. They quickly walked away from him knowing that when Hiashi was mad things did not end well. Ino felt bad that she exaggerated the truth so much, but not bad enough to tell everyone what really happened. She wasn't going to tell everyone she was just used by Neji.

Meanwhile, Neji, Tenten, and Tomomi were finishing up their game. Tomomi was enjoying spending time with her granddaughter. She never came to visit her, but that didn't bother her. As long as she could see her once a year, she was happy. The joyful conversation between them was paused when Neji's phone rang. He politely excused himself from the room and took the call outside.

"Hello." Neji said

"Where are you Neji?" he heard Hiashi say on the other end

"I am at Tomomi's house. Why do you ask?"

"I just received news that concerns you. I am not happy Neji. How dare you do that after I convinced the elders to let you marry that girlfriend you had!"

"What are you talking about?"

"A young woman came to my house going on about how you and her had ... relations."

"Was she blonde?"

"Yes, so you know who I am talking about. I will not stand for this kind of behavior. Not only are you making yourself look bad, you are also making a name for your clan. I want you to sort this out before I have to."

"Uncle, this is a huge misunderstanding. I did not have sex with that girl. She has a tendency to stretch the truth. I assure you that I did nothing to her. On another note, it is none of your business what goes on in my marriage. My wife and I can handle ourselves without you checking up on us."

"If you didn't do anything to her, why is she making up these stories?"

"It is a long story. I promise this will be the last time you hear something like this."

"Ok I believe you. Goodbye."

"Bye" Neji finished then hung up.

He went back inside and sat next to Tenten, "What was that about?" she asked.

"Nothing, just my uncle. Ino is spreading the rumor that I had sex with her, he found out about it, and he called me."

She held his hand, "I'm sorry for getting you in this mess. If I wouldn't have kissed Sasuke, we would be the happiest, most drama-free couple in the village."

He kissed her, "Don't say that. It isn't all your fault. I made a wrong decision with Ino. That is what led to my uncle getting involved. I know you are sorry for what happened with Sasuke, but that is behind us now."

"Why do you have to be so perfect?" she said through a smile

His only response was a smile

Tomomi looked at the two young adults. She couldn't believe after all off the pain they had caused each other they would still be able to love the other with everything they had.


	21. Chapter 21

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter 21: Neji's Nightmare and Their Dream

Neji woke up in the middle of the night the next day; a result of yet another nightmare. The nightmares hadn't stopped since he heard about Tenten and Sasuke. He knew where they originated, but the nightmares never had anything to do with Tenten or Sasuke. They either showed him his death, memories of his father, or a harmed child that he could not save. Tonight, it was the one with the child. The child had his eyes and referred to him as "Daddy". Neji couldn't stand the sight of him being in danger. It killed him inside. He couldn't do anything to save his son.

Neji got out of bed and went downstairs to get a glass of water. He needed something to calm his nerves. After he gulped down the last sip, he walked over to the couch and sat down to gather his thoughts. The first time he heard about Tenten cheating on him, the only thing he could think about was when she would leave him. He was well aware he was not a likable guy, so why didn't she just go with Sasuke that day? Sasuke seemed to know how to make her feel better, while he seemed to make her more upset. He knew she was to good for him. He never imagined he would have a wife, and yet, she was sleeping comfortably in his arms before he woke up. He smiled at the thought. The love of his life was sleeping in his arms.

His mind traveled back to the child in his dreams. The boy he saw was absolutely beautiful. His skin was perfect, his hair was flawless, and his eyes were pure. The boy took his breath away every time he saw him. He never knew how much he wanted a child until Tenten wanted one. He wanted to be a father more than anything. Tenten always told him that he would be the best father, and he believed her. If he had a child, he would care for it more than he would himself. The one thing that would bring his world crashing down is if something happened to his son. Almost every night, he had to see his son nearly die.

He heard Tenten walk down the stairs. "Why are you up?" she asked

"I just had a bad dream. Why are you up?"

"I wanted to know where you were." she said as she rested her head against his shoulder, "What was your dream about?"

"Nothing really. It's been the same dream for a while now, we have a son and he nearly dies. I try to save him, but I can't."

"Is there anything I can do to get it off your mind?"

"Yes. Go back in the room and get undressed." he said flatly

"What?" she asked startled as a blush appeared on her cheeks

"I want to have a baby. That means we-" he was cut off

"Don't you think you can be a little more romantic? This is supposed to be the moment we are bonded forever and you just tell me to go upstairs and get naked?"

"Come on." he said then took her up to the room

"You are the rudest person I've ever known." Tenten said while removing her shirt

"I know." he said with a smile

(A/N: I'm skipping the next scene for obvious reasons. This story is rated T not M. I'll skip to the next day.)

The next day Tenten woke up and joined her husband in the kitchen. She saw him preparing a meal, "What are you making?" she asked.

"Just some rice. Do you want some?"

"Sure."

A few moments of silence passed and Tenten spoke up, "Did you enjoy last night?"

"Every bit of it."

"Really? Thank god, I thought I made the whole experience awful for you."

"How?"

"It felt awkward. I kept hitting my head on the wall or the night stand."

"I thought it was cute how you didn't know what you were doing." he said smiling

"How do you know so much about it? You're not supposed to be good at that sort of thing."

"Why is it so hard to believe that I know how to pleasure my wife?" he asked looking at her

She blushed, "You just... I don't know."

He kissed her, "I merely showed you how I felt last night. I don't know anything about sex."

She smiled, "I love you so much."

"I love you more."

Neji took the rice away from the heat and prepared their plates. They ate in relative silence until the phone rang. Tenten picked it up.

"Hello?" she answered

"Hello Tenten. I was wondering if you had anything planned for tonight" she heard the soft voice of Hinata say.

"I didn't have anything planned. What's going on?"

"Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and I are going out to eat. I was wondering if you wanted to come?"

"Sure I'll be there. Can Neji come?"

"I would love for him to come, but I don't want any fights between him and Sasuke."

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen. Where are we eating?"

"We were just going to gather at Sakura's house. Everybody is bringing something."

"Ok, I'll see what we can cook. Is there anything else I need to know before I hang up?"

"Not that I know of. Just be sure Neji isn't in a bad mood if he comes."

"Got'cha. Bye."

"Bye"

"We're going to Sakura's house tonight to eat. Is that ok with you?" Tenten asked Neji

"Sure. Who's going to be there?"

"Naruto, Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke."

"Ok, as long as Ino isn't there."

She smiled, "I think that girl is in love with you now. What did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything. She kissed me that one time and that was it. I don't know why she likes me so much."

"I do. Look at yourself; you are the best looking guy in the village."

He smiled and took their plates to the sink. After he did the dishes, he went to train with Lee and his team. He had to do something to get his mind off of the dinner. He knew that it was going to lead to a disaster.


	22. Chapter 22

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter 22: Inside their Marriage

The sun had finally started to go down, and all Tenten could think about was the dinner. How was Neji going to act? Does Sasuke still like her? How will she react if she is left alone with him again? Will she tell her fiends about last night? So many questions, and she had answers to none of them. She was contemplating the idea of not going at all because of everything that could go wrong. Nothing really interested her in spending the night with her friends. After what her and Neji did, she wanted to stay home and be inhis embrace all day. Unfortunately, she had made a commitment to her friends and she intended to keep it.

Neji walked through the front door, which interrupted her thoughts, "Aren't you going to get ready?" he asked her. She had stayed in her pajammas all day.

"Oh, right. I'll wait on you to finish your shower, then I'll start." she said

"Ok, see you in a little while." he said as he walked to the bathroom.

She looked at him walking away from her and thought about how lucky she was to have him in her life. Without him, she would lose all faith in everything. He was the greatest thing that had ever happened to her. She knew she didn't deserve him, but she kept reminding herself that he chose her; she was the only person he would talk to about personal issues, and she felt honored to be the person he comes to when everything seems like it is going terribly wrong. Little did she know, Neji thought the same about her last night.

A few minutes passed and Neji walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist, "The shower is open." he said.

She picked up her clothes and headed toward the bathroom. Once she was finished, she dried and combed her hair, brushed her teeth, and put her clothes on. She quickly walked to the kitchen to prepare a small dish for the gathering. She saw her husband out of the corner of her eye and turned to look at him.

"What do you want me to fix for tonight?" she asked him

"Fish would be fine. Do you need me to help?" he answered

"It wouldn't hurt to just have you around. You can sit right there and talk if you want." she said while pointing to a chair in the middle of the kitchen.

He sat in the seat and looked at her prepare the meal. After a moment or two, he popped a question on her that had been bugging him for weeks, "Tenten, do you ever ... think about Sasuke? Be completely honest."

"Where did that come from? Do you not trust me."

"It's just been eating at me for a while now. You don't have to answer it." he said looking at anything but her.

"No, I am going to answer it just so we're on the same page once and for all. Yes, I thought about him a lot right after the kiss, but not anymore. Why would I think about him when I have the best man in the world living with me? You are the only man I love. I do not love Sasuke."

He smiled, "I just have this feeling that you're going to leave me. You are way to good for me. I've been alone all my life and I guess I just got used to people leaving."

There it was. The most vulnerable part of Neji's life had been brought to her attention, "Neji, I didn't know you felt this way." she said almost in tears

"It's fine. I just can't trust anyone to stay with me. When you said that you would spend the rest of your life with me, I was shocked. No one had ever said 'I love you Neji' or 'I will stay with you Neji'. It just never happened." he said looking at the ground

She went over to him and gave him a hug, "What about your father? He told you he loved you right?"

"It doesn't matter. He's gone."

"I will never leave you. I love you too much for that. If I knew you were hurting so badly, I would have never kissed Sasuke. If you know nothing else, know that I will never leave you."

**A/N: How sweet! By the way, sorry for the VERY late update. I started school two weeks ago and have had no time to sit down and write. If you stuck with me for the month I didn't upload anything, thank you. Just letting you know, new chapters will not be posted right away. It will probably take a month and a half to get my homework load settled.**


	23. Chapter 23

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter 23: Dinner with Friends

"Are you ready to go?" Neji asked Tenten as he grabbed his coat

"Hold on. Let me wrap up this fish real quick." she said as she took the meal from the heat

After she had wrapped up the meal, she grabbed her coat and walked out the door with Neji. As they walked to Sakura's house, they held on to each other's hand for comfort. They never went anywhere together without showing the world that they cared for each other. When they arrived at the front door of the house, Tenten set down some ground rules.

"Try to behave. You act like a child when you are around Sasuke."

"I will try to keep calm." he said with a smile. He thought it was cute how she worried the way she did.

She knocked on the door and waited for a response.

Sakura poked her head out the door, "Tenten! Come in. I haven't seen you in forever."

They walked in to find the others sitting in the living room waiting on them.

"How are you Tenten?" Sakura asked

"I'm pretty well actually. Everything seems to be going perfect. What about you?" Tenten replied

"Well, it's been kind of boring lately. I guess I can't complain."

Naruto walked over to join the conversation, "Tenten, I finally get to talk to you and Neji. You two are the hardest people to meet up with."

"Yeah, sorry about that. These past few months have been seriously hectic for us." Tenten apologized

They caught up for a good amount of time until Naruto shouted, "I'm hungry". At that point, everyone decided that it was time to chow down. They prepared the table and let their conversations return naturally.

"How have you been? Are things settled between you and Tenten?" Hinata asked Neji in a hushed tone

"Everything is going smoothly. I don't know what came over us that made us want to hurt each other so badly. You understand I would do anything for her, but at that time my anger and jealousy clouded my judgement." he said remembering the kiss

"I'm just happy to see you happy again. Not every marriage can withstand everything you and Tenten have been through, but you did it."

"I guess you're right. Thank you." Neji said whith a small smirk

While Neji and Hinata were finishing their conversation, Sasuke slipped over next to Tenten and began another.

"Hey Tenten. How have you been?" he asked with a smirk

"I'm not going to talk to you. Every time I do, my life is the one that comes crashing down. I'm not letting you do that anymore." she said sternly

"What? I can't even talk to you anymore?" he asked

"That's right. Neji doesn't like it when I talk to you."

"Are you seriously going to let him tell you who you can and can't talk to?"

"I'm not letting him boss me around. I just get his opinions on things."

"I'm not going to ask you on a date or anything so it is safe to talk to me. You are acting like a child."

Her face flared with anger, "I am not a child. How can you expect to have a conversation with someone when you insult them?"

"I don't want to talk to you anymore." he said then started a conversation with Sakura

Tenten rested her head on Neji's shoulder to calm herself

"Are you tired?" Neji asked

"No, just a little frustrated. Don't worry about it."

"Let's go outside to get some air." he said as he lifted her head

She smiled and excused herself and Neji from the table. They walked outside, closed the door, and sat on a bench Sakura had set up on her porch. The sun had gone down, but in its place was a dark sky filled with sparkling stars.

"Just look at the sky. That should calm you down" he suggested

She did as she was told and let her head rest gently on Neji's shoulder. After a few seconds, Neji heard a sigh escape his wife's mouth. The fact that she was relaxed made him smile. She loved star-gazing; it always seemed to calm her.

"Do you want to head back inside?" he asked

"Sure." she answered in a hushed tone

After a few more minutes, they stood up and walked back inside.

"What were you two doing out there?" Naruto asked obnoxiously

"Do you have any manners at all? It doesn't matter what they did!" Sakura yelled

"No, it's fine. We were just looking at the stars." Tenten told them

"Is everything ok?" asked Sakura

"Everything is fine." she answered

Although, everything was about to become chaos. There was a knock at the door.

"Who could that be?" asked Hinata

"I don't know" Sakura replied, "I didn't invite anyone else."

"I'll go check it out." Neji said as he walked toward the door

He opened the door to find none other than Tsunade at the door.

"What is the problem? Do you need any of us?" he asked

"Yes, where is Tenten? This cannot wait." she told the group

**A/N: I know I promised an update last month but I never got to it. So, I will post two chapters tonight or sometime this weekend.**


	24. Chapter 24

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter 24: Tragedy

Tenten ran to the door carrying a worried expression on her face, "What is it Lady Hokage?"

She led Tenten and Neji outside to finish their conversation, "It's your grandmother; she died a few minutes ago. I went to her house to check up on her; recently, she has been feeling awful. When I walked in, she was on the floor without a pulse. I thought I should contact you first and tell you the news."

By now, Tenten had tears running down her cheeks, "Why? Why did this happen? I didn't know she wasn't feeling well. If she would have contacted me, I could have helped her."

She collapsed in the arms of her husband while he tried to calm her. She mumbled every thought in to his shoulder. It took everything Neji had not to cry with her. That woman had saved him from every demon he faced as a child, now she is gone.

"If there is anything I can do to help, please feel free to come to the mansion and tell me." Tsunade said while trying to sooth the crying woman in front of her

"Thank you. We will contact you if we need help. I appreciate you telling us." Neji said

With that, Tsunade left them to sort things out. Neji led Tenten to the bench they sat on earlier and began talking.

"Tenten, look at me." she looked at him and begged him for an answer

"I know this is a lot to take in. It is hard for me too, but we have to get through this. The first thing I want you to do is stop blaming yourself. This is not your fault. Do you understand? I know the world seems cruel right now, but we will get through this." he said in hopes of comforting her

"Shut up! It's not even your grandmother. You don't know how I feel. It hurts. I should have been there more." she replied through sobs

"You know I have experienced the same pain. There is no reason to blame either of us."

"You don't get it. She was all I had and I took her for advantage. She's gone. I will never get to see her again, and I spent the last few years chasing after you. I wasted precious time chasing after some boy." she replied

"We both love Tomomi, she kept us together. We still have each other. That is what she wanted; for you to be happy with someone you love."

"Cut the crap. This isn't about us. Stop trying to act like you're my night in shining armor. This is about my grandmother. She is dead Neji."

"I don't know what to tell you. All I know to say is that Tomomi loved you. You were the only thing she had. She would not want to see you like this." he finished

He wrapped his arms around her shaking body attempting to stop the tears that fell relentlessly. Their life suddenly became very complicated: there was a group of people inside waiting to know what had happened, they were expecting a baby this year, and now the most important person in their lives had just passed away. Neither of them had any answers.

Hinata had opened the front door to check on them, "Are you two ok? We are all worried about you in there."

"Tenten's grandmother has just passed away. We need some time to let that sink in." Neji told her

"I will bring you some water." she said as she went back in the house

"What is going on?" Naruto asked

"Tenten's grandmother died a moment ago. They are really torn up about it." Hinata answered

She prepared the glasses of water and brought them to the miserable duo, "If you need anything else please let me know."

"Thank you Hinata." Neji said as she went back inside

He looked back at his wife, "Do you want to go back home?"

She nodded her head, still crying.

He walked with her to the house and let her fall on the bed, "Why does everything always happen to me? I can't have my parents, now my grandmother dies. Go ahead and jump out the window so I can lose everything at once."

"Tenten, it's not easy losing someone. I know it will hurt for a while, but there is always a way out of grief. This doesn't have to be your life. You can still be happy without your grandmother. She raised you to always look on the bright side." he answered

"Come here. Lay down." she told him

He lied next to her and wiped the tears from her face, "Don't blame this on yourself." he said

"I know she would want me to be happy, but I can't when I know she is not here."

"I am though. I will help you through this tough time. I loved her too. We need to help each other." he said between kisses

She closed her eyes letting herself relax in his embrace. She needed him more than ever. He knew what to say to make her feel better.

*The next day*

Tenten woke up to the sound of pots banging togther in the kitchen. She went downstirs to see what Neji was doing, and as she susspected, he was making breakfast.

"Why are you up so early to make breakfast?" she asked

"I didn't tell you? I have to go on a mission today." he answered turning around to look at her

"Don't leave me here by myself. I can't handle being alone right now." she replied

"Don't worry. I will be home this afternoon. Can you make it untill then?" he asked

"I guess" she whispered, "Can I have a kiss?"

"Whatever you want" he said as he captured hr lips.

The next few minutes were taken up by the two eating. Neji left shortly after and set out to do his mission. But someone was going with him. Ino started following him. When he walked outside the village, she tackled him. By reflex, Neji drew his weapon and put it to her neck.

"Ino? Why did you attack me? I could have killed you." he said shocked

"I just wanted to see you." she replied sweetly

"You don't need to attack me to see me." he said flatly

"Yes I do. You're so hard to find because you are always with Tenten. How are we supposed to get together when you're always with her?"

"What? Who ever said I wanted to be with you?" he asked discussed

"Remember that time at the hot springs?" she asked as she kissed his cheek

"Yes, I do. I also remember I left that place to go back home with my wife." he added angrily

"Awww, you're getting upset. How cute!" she said and then kissed him

He backed away, "Stop trying to kiss me. I do not want you."

"Shhhh. You need to relax." she said while unbuttoning his shirt

He let her continue knowing this would be the only time in months he might be touched like this. He knew it was wrong, but his body yearned for the touch. A few minutes went past and they were all over each other. Neji decided to end it before it got out of control.

"Why are you stopping?" she asked

"I don't want to go all the way with you. Kisses and hugs are ok, but not that." he said getting his cloths back on

"So, you like me?" she asked

"No, now get out of here and let me do my job." he said

She did as she was told, but planted a final kiss on his lips. He continued on his mission hoping no one saw what he just did.

'I don't love her' he thought 'I love Tenten. What just happened was not cheating. It was a few kisses; that's it.'

He got to thinking more and more about what had happened and started feeling worse about what he had done. He almost lost Tenten because she shared one kiss with Sasuke. What is she going to say when she finds out about this? He nearly had sex with another woman. He does not need to put this on her right now. She has too much going on in her life, so he is not going to bring it up.

When he finally arrived home, he saw her sleeping on the couch. He sat next to her, but woke her up in the process.

"Hey, you're back." she said hugging him

"Yeah, I'm back. Are you feeling ok?" he asked

"I have been throwing up, but it's fine. It is just part of being pregnant."

"I promise I will help you any way I can with this baby and the passing of Tomomi. Life has gotten extremely difficult for you and I want to ease your burden." he said while kissing her

"Thank you Neji. You're the best." she whispered

**A/N: So, what do you think? Should Neji come clean or let Tenten figure it out for herself. This is probably the climax of the whole story and I wanted to make it super dramatic. I know some of you all will hate me for making Neji the bad guy, but no one can be perfect.**


	25. Chapter 25

True Love Always Lasts  
Chapter 25: The Truth

The next morning was silent, but in a bad way. Tenten couldn't stop thinking of her grandmother and Neji had his mind on Ino. He wanted to tell his wife what had happened, but he could not bring himself to tell her. She knew that if he did, he would lose her forever.

"What's wrong?" Tenten asked seeing the apparent look of worry on his face

"Nothing, I'm just thinking about the baby." he answered

She smiled, "It's hard to believe we're going to be parents huh?"

"I didn't expect to get this far." he admitted

"What do you mean?" she asked

"I guess I'm trying to say that I never thought our relationship would grow to this level."

"Now that you mention it, it is hard to believe we have been together this long." she added

He didn't respond. A moment passed and he excused himself from the room. They both got ready and tried to decide what to do with Tomomi.

"I will make funeral arrangements. It is too hard on you to plan that." Neji suggested

"No, I want to be a part of it. I want her treated with respect. I don't want everyone treating her as a body in a coffin. I want people to see a great woman." she told him

"I understand. You do whatever you feel is neccisary." he responded

While they were planning the arrangements, Neji caught a glimpse of Ino outside the living room window. He excused himself and walked outside to confront her.

"Why are you here? Tenten and I are in the middle of something important." he demanded

"I just wanted to see you. Is that so bad?" she asked teasingly

"Yes, I am with my wife. Whatever you want we can settel it later." he said

"But I want you. You can't just act like yesterday meant nothing to you." she said as she kissed him on the cheek

"It absolutely meant nothing. Tenten and I are planning on having a child. I will not let you ruin that." he said raising his voice

Hearing Neji start to get upset, Tenten walked outside, "Is everything ok? Why is Ino here?"

"She was just leaving. She came by to tell me something. It's no big deal really." he said

"No big deal? You haven't told her yet have you?" Ino asked

"Told me what? What are you hiding from me Neji?" Tenten begged

"I would never hide anything from you Tennie. She just wants to get something started."

"Tennie? You never call me that unless you want something. What is going on?!" Tenten yelled

"Neji wants me. He's board of you. Remember when he told you he was going on a mission yesterday? He didn't do that; instead, we made love in the forest." Ino taunted

Tenten looked at her husband with watery eyes, "Is she telling the truth Neji?"

"Of course not. You know she will do anything to tear us apart." he replied

"What?! You are totally lying. Go on tell your precious wife what you did to me yesterday." she dared

"Neji, tell me what happened. I thought we agreed to no secrets." Tenten said holding on to his hands

He sighed, "I truly was going on a mission, but Ino came and pinned me to the ground. I told her to get off, but instead she started undressing me," he paused, "I allowed her to continue and gave her a few kisses. We did not have sex Tenten."

She started tearing up, "How far did you go?"

"Don't cry Tenten. I didn't mean for it to happen." he said wrapping his arms around her

She pushed him away, "Answer my question!"

He sighed a second time, "We were down to our underwear. We made-out a little longer, then I left."

Tenten ran back in the house. Ino had a triumphant expression on her face. Neji pushed Ino to the ground.

"I will kill you!" he said with a stern voice

He ran after Tenten, "Come back. I didn't mean it."

"Shut up! Why would you do this to me with everything else that's going on?" she questioned

He caught up to her and held her arms, "I wasn't thinking. Give me another chance, please."

"Get out of here! I don't want to see you! Move back with your family because I'm not living with you anymore!" she yelled

"Don't kick me out. We have a baby on the way. He needs a father." he bargained

"Sasuke will do that for me." she said

"So you would want Sasuke to replace me as that child's father? I knew you wanted him! Now I'm proud of what I did." he yelled

"I hate you Neji! All you can think about is me and Sasuke. Maybe that's why you aren't satisfied with our marriage. All you ask me is if I love Sasuke. Well, now I think I do. He wouldn't get me pregnant then cheat on me a week later. I hate you!" she yelled

"How do I know that that isn't Sasuke's child? Have you been sleeping with him?" he demanded

"You have no right to be jealous when you nearly had sex with Ino. I don't know how we lasted this long, but it ends here! You are a selfish, arrogant, jealous, cold, immature loser! I never should have married you," she threw her ring at him, "Take it back! I don't want anything you have. Get out of this house NOW!"

He picked up the ring, "Tenten, I shouldn't have accused you of cheating. Please take this back."

She collapsed to the floor and cried, "Why did you have to do this? I tried to show you I loved you, but it wasn't enough."

"Tenten, I love you more than anything. What happened between Ino and I meant nothing." he said trying to put the ring back on her finger

She stopped him, "I told you I didn't want that. Give it to Ino. I'm done with you."

"Don't do this. I want to make this right. What do I have to do to." he asked

"I thought I told you to get out of here." she said walking away

"I'm sorry. Please don't leave. I want to help you with our baby. I want to be there for Tomomi's funeral." he told her while bringing her closer to him

"I don't want to see you anymore. You can come to my grandmother's funeral, but I will not let you hurt my child. Get out of this house, take your ring, and go finish what you started with Ino." she sobbed

"I don't care what you say; I am seeing my child." he said pinning her to the wall

"Stop, you're hurting me. I'm not letting you touch him. He is mine." she dared

He threw her to the ground, "Fine, do whatever you want! Keep the kid and raise him yourself! If you won't accept my apologies, then I don't know what else to do! Why are you so impossible?!" he yelled on his way out of the house

Tenten layed on the ground crying. She could not believe what he just did. He could have harmed the baby, and he acted like he didn't even care. She thought she knew him, but she realized he was not who she thought he was. The man she married would have never cheated on her; he defiantly would not throw her to the ground in a fit of rage. Her life came crashing down within a matter of days. 'How am I going to raise our baby by myself' she thought, 'I can't handle all of this'. She sat on the floor crying for what seemed like an eternity. After she cried her last set of tears, she went to their bedroom. The sight of his cloths on the bed made her furious. She picked them up and threw them at the wall. The next item on her list was their wedding picture, the picture in the hallway that made her grin every time she saw it. She tossed it across the room and broke the frame. The tears came back and she sat on the floor letting the sorrow run its course.

While Tenten was crying, Neji had his track set on Sasuke. He was going to find out once and for all what was going on between him and Tenten. He arrived at his house and burst through the door.

Sakura was in the living room and jumped when she saw him, "Neji, what are you doing here? You scared me half to death!"

"Where is he?! Where is Sasuke?!" he yelled

"He's upstairs. Why are you so mad?" she asked

He didn't answer her question, instead he ran upstairs to find Sasuke. Once he found him, he punched him.

"What are you doing with Tenten?!" Neji asked

"Dude, back off! You can't just come in here and start a fight!" Sasuke screamed followed by a kick

"I know you've been sleeping with her! Tell me what you did to her!" he demanded

"I didn't do anything!" Sasuke yelled

The two men soon started fighting, intended to kill one another.

"Tell me what you did to my wife! Tell me that isn't your child she's carrying!"

"And what if it is? What are you going to do about it?" Sasuke dared

He set Neji off. Neji came at him with everything he had and punched him straight in the face.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" they both screamed

Hearing the noise, Sakura came running to the bedroom, "What is going on? Stop fighting!"

Neji pinned Sasuke to the door, "Tell me what you did to her! Let Sakura know that you've been sleeping around!"

"WHAT! Sasuke what is he talking about?!" Sakura said

"Yes Neji, I slept with your wife! I went to your house and did it! Is that what you want to hear?!" Sasuke questioned

"You'd better be telling the truth! Did you sleep with her!?" Neji asked a final time

"NO! I didn't! Get out of my face!" Sasuke said as he punched him, "WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!"

They began fighting again, but Sakura attempted to break it up. She only got hurt in the process.

After Neji had had enough, he went back to his and Tenten's house and knocked on the door. Tenten opened the door, but quickly closed it when she saw who it was.

"Tenten I just want to talk to you. Please just grant me one chance to tell you everything I can." he begged

"I don't want to see you. You hit me and treated me like crap. I will only talk to you through the door." she told him

"I'm know I shouldn't have hit you. Trust me, I would never hurt you intentionally." he said

"It's always been this way. You get mad and you start hurting people. I can't risk you being part of my life. What if, when the baby comes, you get mad at him? Are you going to kill him? You almost killed him today throwing me around like that."

"I am so sorry. I realize I have problems. The last thing I want to do is hurt you or the baby." he paused, "I have to tell you something. I'm not keeping anymore secrets."

"What is it?" she asked

"When I ran out the door, I went to Sasuke's house. I thought you were sleeping with him, so I beat him up-" he was cut off

"What!? Why did you do that? You just proved my point even further. I can't believe you fought with him again over something that isn't even true."

"I know. It was stupid, but at least I told you." he paused again, "Listen, I realize that I messed up today. I don't want to live without you especially when we have a baby on the way. I promise I will get my anger problems under control. Don't try to do all of this by yourself."

"I don't know if I trust you fully right now. You put a ton of pressure on me, and I don't know if I can handle it. I will let you be there for my grandmother's funeral and the birth of our child, but I want you to live with your uncle for the next few months. I'm still shaking from what you did to me. I can't have you in the house right now." she said

"Ok, I understand. Can I open the door to give you a kiss?" he asked

"You never ask for a kiss." she said shocked

He opened the door. What she saw was the surprize of her life. Neji had tears rolling down his cheeks. His face was covered in bruises and scratches from his fight. He was taking this hard. Before she had a chance to process what was going on with her husband, he brought his lips to her cheek and gave her a final kiss.

"I love you." he whispered

"Neji." shehad no words


End file.
